Scorching late afternoon temperatures during the summer in Charlottesville deter most people from going outside, unless it involves water. Especially on holidays. With no work, no school, and a high of 93 degrees, June 19, 2024 was just one of those days. But despite all this, more than 50 Central Virginia students chose asphalt. For the first time since the completion of major renovations to UVA’s basketball courts, community members were welcome on grounds to play basketball together at new courts dubbed “the new Dell”. 

Music from a Charlottesville-based DJ boomed over speakers as kids aged 11-17 played 3-on-3 half-court basketball. Family members and friends watched and cheered on their players, who wore matching t-shirts with their team names on them. It was summer, and basketball at UVA was back. 

Starting in the early 2000s, outdoor basketball or “streetball” was a massive deal in Charlottesville. Good players, known for charismatic personalities in addition to basketball skill, were local celebrities. Games attracted hundreds of spectators. By 2004, many of these games happened at the Dell, on UVA’s grounds across from the bookstore. The Dell courts provided a place for  members of the Charlottesville community not affiliated with the university to gather and play basketball. Over time, as the group expanded, the university increased regulations around the use of the courts and they began charging community members to reserve a space that had once been free. The community found other places to play. 

In the spring of 2024, Professor Bonnie Gordon and Carlher Swanson’s Music and Community Engagement–Gun Violence Remix class explored the history of the Dell, and sought to build a new relationship between the Charlottesville Community and UVA athletic spaces. The course’s focus on gun violence gave students the opportunity to explore local solutions to gun violence through learning from community leaders. Guest speakers included members of the BUCK Squad and the Tonsler league. 

Students in the Gun Violence Remix class worked with the Equity Center and the Tonsler league to  a basketball tournament for June 19, 2024 as their final project.  The event was planned for Juneteenth as a way to celebrate the holiday, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. The goal was to begin a process of bringing community members back to the Dell to continue making UVa more accessible to the local community. Hopefully, this event will set a precedent for more community basketball play on grounds in the future. 

This event aligned with the learning goals of the class of community-based solutions to local gun violence. Students learned how issues of poverty and systemic racial discrimination impact a community’s relationship to and rates of gun violence. Safe, consistent, and open public spaces for people to gather is a need in any community, but especially one with high rates of youth gun violence. An accessible basketball court has the potential to increase the safety, connectedness, and well-being of youth in the community. 

The largest community organization in Charlottesville centered around Basketball is the Tonsler League, a summer adult basketball league. The league was founded in 2010 by Damien “Snake” Banks as Banks Collage Basketball Association (BCBA). Dr. Wes Bellamy took over leadership of the group in 2022, and it was renamed the Tonsler League in honor of Benjamin Tonsler, the former principal of 30 years of the first Black school in Charlottesville. This league continues the tradition of streetball that has been a significant part of Charlottesville culture in an organized league with teams and tournaments. Like the streetball games of the 2000s, Tonsler league games attract hundreds of spectators, players are known among the broader community, and teams have in-league rivalries. The 2024 season had 14 teams playing an 8-week season. 

Over the course of the spring 2024 semester,  students became familiar with reserving, paying for, and obtaining university approval for a tournament of about 50 players aged 11-17.  In the weeks following, members of the Sound Justice Lab and UVA’s Equity Center collaborated with the Tonsler League to turn the students’ plan into reality. Members of all three groups planned the event. The Tonsler league advertised the event to Charlottesville families and registered players. There was high demand, and many kids in the area signed up to play.  Meanwhile, the Equity Center and the Sound Justice Lab navigated the complex reservation system around university athletic spaces. The big challenge in reclaiming and restarting community basketball rested in the logistical labyrinth of UVA’s recreational space reservation system. 

As a research assistant for the Sound Justice lab, I was responsible for gaining permits and communicating with the university about the planning of this event. This process sent me on a seemingly endless quest through major departments at UVA. I worked with fire safety, youth protection, recycling and waste management, and facilities management, and recreations. The logistical work of reserving university space became more emotionally charged following student protests on May 4th, 2024. The University called the National Guard on campus, citing a violation of university outdoor space policies as a reason for breaking up the protest. There are a lot of university regulations in place around space reservations. It’s easy to see the diversity of spaces the university has at their disposal. There are spaces built for movement, rest, and play–but it’s difficult to gain permission to access them. Jim Ryan’s vision of a University that is both “great” and “good” does not seem to include a university that invites the community to use its spaces.  

After weeks of planning, the event was held on the afternoon of June 19th. About 50 Charlottesville students 11-17 attended, with an age range of 11-17. There were many family members and spectators present, resulting in a feeling that the event was a true community gathering. Players were divided into four teams in each of the three age groups, playing a double elimination bracket. DJ FlatlineLay, a Charlottesville musician, played a set that enhanced the high energy and positive atmosphere. UVA students, student athletes, and employees volunteered to keep score and time the games, while Dr. Wes Bellamy, director of the Tonsler league, oversaw the gameplay. 

The event was a success all around, with a high turnout, a great tournament, and full approval from the university. Going forward, we hope to host similar events in the future and carve out more opportunities for community use of the Dell courts in more informal settings.