By Chris Stevens, Editor
Jaron Johnson was beaming like a teacher on the first day of school Wednesday evening, and in many ways he is. Johnson, a former Christiana High School basketball player, was welcoming parents and kids alike to William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center for the Silk League basketball draft, a league Johnson began in 2012 to honor the memory of his friend, Newark High standout Terry “Silk” Alls. Alls, who led the 15th-seeded Yellowjackets to the boys’ state title game against William Penn in 2001, passed away in a car accident in 2003.
“It’s great to be back and here and see the kids’ growth – physically, mentally, verbally,” Johnson said after the 9-11 year-old group draft had taken place. “You can feel the electricity around the kids and parents.”
The Silk League, like most things, was on hiatus in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, but Johnson continued to keep the league message of community service alive, coaching other sports and doing community outreach work with his brother Ladaye “Cooley” Johnson. Jaron Johnson is known as “Mr. Droop” to the kids and he relishes that role, recalling the mentors of his youth that helped keep him on the best path possible.
“There’s a lot of DNA and handprints on the Silk League,” he explains. “Butch McGee, Mike Kellam, Michael Shepherd, Andre Cephas, these were all guys who helped me stay on the straight and narrow when I was around eight or nine years old. I see a lot of kids like me here –single parent family, low income – so I want to help them as much as I can.”
The Silk League has age groups 5-8, 9-11 and 12-14, the latter holding their draft tonight at Hicks Anderson at 6 pm. Johnson plans to have player of the week honors and other awards and rewards to keep players motivated and excited to play each week.
