In Selma, basketball is king. Through an upstart Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball program arranged by Roosevelt Johnson, Nate Brown and others, players throughout Dallas County are getting another opportunity to showcase their skills.

The program, Brown said, stresses academics and athletics.

“It’s not just about the ball,” Brown said. “The ball brings them in, but we are different because they have to make their grades to play, and we have tutors to help them.”

The league is working with New Selmont Baptist Church to provide help for students who might be struggling with their schoolwork, because Brown said they have seen too much basketball talent wasted in Selma because players did not take school seriously.

“We’ve had some of the best players in the history of Selma come along here recently, and they would get scholarship offers, but they couldn’t get the test scores they needed,” Brown said. “We want to help our players work on their graduation exams, SAT and ACT. We want them to get recognition on the court and be able to take that next step.”

Another positive, coach Alvin Barnett said, is it lets the players expand their horizons.

“We had kids that had never been outside the city limits of Selma before,” Barnett said. “That amazed me. When you take those kids and you take them places and let them see other places, that’s a big deal for them.”

Johnson said the program has received a great deal of public support already. He said he hopes people continue to stand behind the program through the years.

Johnson said the 14 and under girls team, headed by Brown, has already scored some big wins.

The teams usually have anywhere from 12 to 16 players and play everywhere from Georgia to Lannett and Montgomery.

The extra exposure, Brown said, helps during the recruiting process.

“A lot of times college coaches aren’t able to get to the high school games in person because they have their own things going on,” Brown said. “This way, they can come out during the summer and see them play in person.”

The 14-year-old team, Johnson said, is heading to nationals, something they did not expect in the first season.

“We had no clue they would do so well,” Johnson said. “They are really making a name for themselves.”

Johnson said he hopes the league can continue to work together with the high school teams to conduct camps and prepare players for the next level and the real world.

“We still stress to them how important it is to play high school ball,” Johnson said. “This is just another way for them to develop their skills.”