A documentary premieres on Showtime tonight, May 15, looking at Prince George’s County’s remarkable role in nurturing professional basketball talent
Produced by Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant, “Basketball County: In the Water” is an hour-long look at local history that begins in 1904, when Edwin Henderson — considered “the Father of Black Basketball” — introduced African-American men in the D.C. area to basketball for the first time.
It also looks at the impact of famed Coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, as well as the surprising role the crack epidemic played.
As Durant explains, before the 1980s teens would meet up at outdoor courts, using headlights of their cars to play late. But when crack became a problem in the D.C. area, that was no longer safe, forcing kids into indoor gyms.
“The young men and women in those indoor gyms — with food, mentorship, and away from trouble — began to flourish,” notes one review. “Case in point: Durant, who honed his skills playing with several local traveling basketball team.”
Durant, who also donated $10 million for a college track program in Prince George’s County, has once again repaid the area that helped make him who he is today.
“Basketball County” premieres on Showtime at 9 p.m. or you can watch it on demand online.
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