b'Brotherhoodon the Court The resilience and renewal of SOMA Over 30 BasketballBY ADRIANNA DONATDaniel Fraidenstern and his son, Max, betweenBrian Smitty Krupkin and Daniel Greenblatt wait-games. ing to go in.No hard feelings: Craig Wolff and Robert Stout as they leave the court.S OMA Over 30 Basketball is not justIn case you arent an NBA All Star, its good tocommunicationgotmessy.Facedwiththesechal-a league. Its a testament to the en- know theres no minimum skill level. We have guyslenges, Wood, an organizer by nature, took over com-during power of friendship, fun andwho can dunk and guys who can barely walk. Theymunication and eventually became the person players shared passion. Theres a brotherhoodplay in the same game. We just try to make sure theyin the league fondly refer to as the Commissioner.forged on the courts, a story of resil- dont guard one another, says Horwitz.The league found a new home in the court in ience, camaraderie and the triumphBrian Wood was part of the group Horwitz start- Memorial Park near Maplewood Town Hall, paying of community over adversity.ed. Before that he was in a recreational league andto reserve the public court but facing the challenge The kernel of the league was planted in Augusthad a vision that extended beyond the game. Theof displacing players already using it. In an effort to 2016 when Steve Horwitz, who had recently moved[unstated] idea was to play in the rec league, then gomaintain a positive atmosphere, they offered to ro-to Maplewood, missed his pickup game back in NYC.to a bar and drink. I was looking for something else,tate in those already on the court, gaining new play-He wanted to find a way to get a group of people to- said Wood. Wood reached out to Horwitz, markingers and fostering a sense of inclusion.gether to play and have fun. Eventually he got in touchthe first step of a journey that would transform ca- Aninterestingpatternemergedwhenchildren with former Mayor Vic DeLuca, who helped him findsual basketball games into a tight-knit community.playing on the court were invited to join the games. the right person in the Maplewood Recreation De- A group of regular players began to form. Players in the league are proud to report that despite partment. Horwitzs wife posted on Facebook askingTheleaguefirstfoundahomeatMaplewoodthe impressive skills of the younger players, the older interestedplayerstogatheratMaplewoodMiddleMiddle School, which worked well until the schoolplayers strategic acumen often prevailed. This inclu-School.Theleaguetookoff.Theleagueisreallyclosed for the summer. Things got complicated whensive approach led to a surge in participants, growing about everyone coming together to play fun, competi- Maplewood Township raised gym prices and offeredthe league from 35 to more than 50 players.tive basketball games, says Horwitz.limited time slots. The email list the league used forMark Mansfield is one of the players who rotated 24/ matters magazine / spring 2024'