The inception of the Alumni League traces back to a typical weekend afternoon at Strawberry Mansion, a local high school, where alumn Fahreed Cheatham was struck by a simple, yet powerful idea. It was there, on the well-worn courts of Strawberry Mansion, not from a professional player or a business executive, but from someone who understood the raw passion that drives streetball.
Fahreed, a former player with roots in various levels of basketball, found inspiration in a spirited alumni game at Strawberry Mansion. This wasn't just any game; it was a reunion of past players, a celebration of community, and a showcase of local talent. From this single event emerged a question that would change Fahreed's life: why couldn't this energy extend beyond one game, one day, one reunion?
This question is what gave birth to the Alumni League, a grassroots basketball league that has transcended recreational sports leagues around the tri-state area. Upon birthing this idea, Fahreed immediately got to work. Having experience playing around the city with Strawberry Mansion, Cheyney University, and a number of other rec leagues around the city, Fahreed had a sense of what worked and what didn't in running a successful league.
"I played semi-pro and pro ball, regular rec leagues, when I played I knew how each league was and made a concept based on knowing what worked and what didn’t in others."
Fahreed's journey in establishing one of the most recognized rec leagues in the tri-state area wasn't just a product of spontaneous inspiration, it was a road paved with personal experiences, challenges, and a deep understanding of both the culture of streetball and the professionalism of organized leagues. This unique perspective didn't come overnight. It was cultivated through years spent navigating various layers of the basketball world.
Growing up, Fahreed always wanted to be successful. Majoring in business at Cheyney, Fahreed has always had a discipline to himself that went beyond any textbook or lecture.
"I grew up as a business major, dressing in a certain way my friends didn’t understand. What they didn’t realize was that the business mindset gave me the ability to play both sides of the coin. I always knew what was acceptable," he said.
This dual perspective allowed him to navigate different worlds, understanding the street's raw passion and the boardroom's structured professionalism simultaneously. His upbringing wasn't without challenges, which informed his approach to the league and his understanding of its potential impact.
'It means a lot to me personally. You never know what people are going through. I grew up rough, and the little things meant a lot to me my whole life," Fahreed said.
Fahreed was all too familiar with the environment of inner-city leagues, where the stakes were high, and the game was as much about local pride as it was about the sport. Fahreed knew what worked and what didn't and his experience through the number of leagues in Philadelphia's inner city helped him form the blueprint for what a league of his own might look like.
"Inner-city leagues were more about bragging rights and competition. Fighting was more tolerated," he recalled."I wanted to keep that sense of professionalism and add to it with interviews, features like broadcasting our games, and more. It made me want to get to this point," Fahreed said.
Fahreed envisioned something more for his league, a combination of streetball's intensity and the respect found in a professional setting. With this vision, the early days of the Alumni League were about laying the foundation where these two worlds can coexist. The journey had its own humble beginnings, but the values of professionalism and community were as apparent as ever even from the start.
"We started with eight teams," Fahreed remembered, his mind tracing back to the days when every game was a step into the unknown, with energy and potential both limitless.
The logistical challenges of the league's infancy were as challenging as they were exciting. From the beginning in New Jersey, the quest for a stable home for the players' talents led them to Philadelphia.
"We were able to get a gym in Philly after starting in NJ," Fahreed explained. "From that point, we were able to get as high as 45 teams before the pandemic started which forced us to lose our gym at the time."
Yet, resilience is often born from this kind of adversity. Through perseverance and the power of community ties, a new opportunity emerged that would have a lasting impact even to this day.
"Through a connection, we were able to find our home for the Alumni League at Finley Rec Center."
With a home base set for the long term and the league starting to pick up the pieces after the pandemic, it was at this point that the evolution of the Alumni League started to rapidly accelerate into the big-time league that has taken over the tri-state.
At the very heart of the Alumni League's rise is not just the dedicated leadership from the top, but the lively community of players, coaches, and supporters involved on a daily basis. Their stories are the key figures of the many rich storylines the league has given birth to.
One of these stories comes from one of the league's powerhouse teams, the Lincoln Railsplitters. Co-led by their star point guard Rell Harrington, his journey through the Alumni League is a testament to the league's draw and impact.
"I played in High School at Lincoln with my teammate Darnell Robinson who asked me to come to the Alumni League, and I've been around ever since the start of season 3," Rell said.
His voice carries the unmistakable tone of brotherhood that the league promotes on a regular basis. The Alumni League isn't just about the competition on the court, it's about the relationships made off of it as well. Rell's partnership with Khalif 'Leef' Meares, a two-time MVP, epitomizes this brotherhood between teammates that is seen on teams throughout the entire league.
"Leef and I know our spots on the floor, he's one of those guys who can get done day in and day out,' he reflected.
For their coach Justin Haggarty. the Alumni League's potential early on was unmistakable. Being around the city his whole life, Justin Haggarty had extensive experience with a number of rec leagues, similar to league Commissioner Fahreed Cheetham.
"I knew about the league from paying attention and being involved with other city leagues for the past 10-15 years," Haggarty said.
His relationship with Rell and Leef again highlighted the brotherhood and community ties that the league constantly promotes.
"I've known Rell before the league even started, being from the same neighborhood," Haggarty explained. "After that, I met Leef through Rell and have now known him for a really long time."
Ever since the start of season nine, Khalif Meares has seemingly taken over the league. He has won two MVPs over the last five seasons and has appeared in two Alumni League championships over the same time frame, winning one in season 12 and losing another to Chester in season nine. Every couple weeks throughout the season, the Alumni League releases a top 25 list which power ranks the players in the league based on their performance and Leef has never dropped from the top ten once. For Coach Haggarty, players like Meares are the backbone of a team's success, "Leef is a consistent player, I can't ask for a better player, player-coach, or team player,” said Haggarty.
While the league has had many core elements throughout the years, Fahreed Cheatham's league has always tried to expand and grow, never being content with the status quo. This has been seen in numerous ways. Innovations such as having SFBN (The Sports Fan Base Network) livestream games, expanding the league to different cities, and even paying players have grown the league into something bigger than anyone would have imagined. For Fahreed, the model for success has always been at the top.
"We've always tried to replicate NBA with features such as having a draft, all-star game, etc. as a way to hold a standard of professionalism," Fahreed said. "Also paying players gives motivation to them and makes the league unique with more of a professional style league".
The Alumni League has always strived to be innovative and for those involved, this effort cannot be ignored. The Lincoln tandem of Harrington and coach Hagerty are just two of a plethora of individuals who both acknowledge and appreciate the efforts from the league to become the best product it can possibly be.
"Every year, the commissioner has tried to improve the league," Harrington described. "We've never had a 1v1 tournament til this year, giving rings for the championship teams, all of the community impact stuff we do, and the sponsorships the league has are the little things that separate this league from others."
As someone who has been around the league since its infancy, Coach Haggerty has been with the Alumni League through thick and thin from its humble beginnings, all the way to its growth of becoming the interstate entity it is today.
"I remember when it was down on G Street and now, it's a tri-state league making a name for itself outside of the city and just inner circles, the sky's the limit."
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