‘More than just basketball:’ Big Guard U and Emerging Young Talent team up to support Des Moines youth

Youth who lack positive role models and nurturing community activites are vulnerable, said the leaders of a basketball training program and a nonprofit devoted to providing Des Moines youth with alternatives.

Big Guard U (BGU), a basketball training program, and Emerging Young Talent, which provides programs, services and resources to at-risk youth in Des Moines, have partnered to help young people with basketball and life. BGU recently held tryouts in Des Moines and West Des Moines.

“I started because I was actually a kid who did not have a basketball trainer or mentor at a young age to teach me and guide me through the importance of basketball and school,” said Jontay Williams, BGU founder and a basketball skills trainer from Des Moines.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams, who graduated from Nebraska Christian College in 2020, with a bachelor’s degree in human development and mental health counseling, began going to Omaha-area parks and helping youth with their basketball skills. He noticed other community members doing the same, and an idea emerged. 

“I want to serve the kids in my community,” said Williams. “I came back and formed Big Guard U.” 

Since its inception, BGU has served more than 200 youth, organizers said. The program holds activities, trainings and regular basketball camps. Williams said they deliver a holistic program with a strong emphasis on honing skills, fostering teamwork and instilling positive character traits. 

Williams runs BGU with Dave Reed, who is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He came to Iowa in 2013 to play football for Iowa State University and now coaches at Roosevelt High School. Since the two met through a mutual friend, BGU has become “a well-oiled machine” that’s more like a family, they said. 

“I was also one of those kids that didn’t necessarily have all the resources to have a trainer or to have a mentor, so this is another opportunity to give to the sport and give back to the youth,” said Reed, who graduated from Iowa State University in 2019, with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in communications studies. 

The duo collaborates with Rae Luna, the nonprofit founder, who saw her young brother engaged in activies that led him to jail and prison, which prompted her to create Emerging Young Talent in 2015 to interrupt the cycle of violence for others. 

“We just try to find things for the youth to do within the community to keep them busy,” she said. 

BGU held tryouts last month and has since assembled a team that’s preparing for its first tournament. During tryouts, Allen Matthews assisted the players. D’Mir Coleman, 14, a freshman at Roosevelt High School, attended the tryouts at Valley Southwoods Freshman High School. The 6’5 center, who said he likes to play basketball with his eight brothers, heard about BGU at school. Joining the team is about fun, teammates and working hard, he said. 

“I’m here to get better,” he said, before running drills. “Jontay, he’s a good coach. He’s here to help you get better.”

While some youth may pin all their hopes on the long shot of making it to the NBA, D’Mir is practical.  

“If I don’t make it in basketball, I want to be a mechanic,” he said. “A car mechanic.”

Luna and BGU organizers create programming that combines fun activities, life skills, mentoring, the arts and basketball, which help give teens something positive to do.

“We definitely partner with other organizations to help us succeed in our mission and vision,” Luna said. “We love Big Guard U and what they’re doing in the community.”  

Luna said she wants teens to know that even though life can be hard, there are people in the community who are willing to help them achieve their dreams. 

“So that’s something that is just within our philosophy — We’re really striving to be more than just basketball,” Reed said. 

Williams agreed. 

“We are dedicated to addressing the distinct requirements of our youth and community and striving to leave a long-lasting impact that cultivates leadership for future generations,” he said. 

Organizers said BGU’s goal is to take their mentees on college visits to see NCAA D1 schools and HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities). But Williams doesn’t want their mentees to think it’s only about basketball. 

“It’s more than that. That’s why we prioritize installing that student mindset for each player, both on and off the court,” Williams said. “So not only learning the importance of diligence, during the basketball practice or games, but also grasp that significance of maintaining academics and excellence alongside that athletic pursuit.”

Partnering with Big Guard U and other groups and organizations helps pool resources to help even more young people, Luna said. 

“They need good role models,” she said of Des Moines youth. “They need mentors. They need to see bigger things.”

It’s also about connecting youth with activities they can enjoy that can lead them along a positive path, Luna said. 

“If they find what they love to do, it would prevent them from going down the wrong path,” Luna said. “They would stay on the right path.”

Support Des Moines-area youth

“We’re just trying to serve the unique needs of the youth and community and give them a better outlook on life,” Williams said.

Reed agreed. 

“It’s more than sports. We are BGU. We are a family,” he said.

BGU is accepting donations to help support its programs. Access their fundraiser through GoFundMe.