Former Edenwald Basketball Star Gives Assist to Community With Summer League, Activism 

Rasheem Jenkins found his sanctuary in basketball as a youth growing up at Edenwald Houses.  

Edenwald, the Bronx’s largest NYCHA development, may not have had a dedicated court space at the time, but that didn’t stop Mr. Jenkins and other young residents from finding a way to play basketball. They would place two garbage cans at each end of a pathway for games, or head to a nearby court to practice their shots repeatedly in hopes of becoming a future star.   

The game was not only a passion, but something to connect with that felt like a sibling for the young Mr. Jenkins. 

“Basketball was something you could relate to; it was almost like you were in a relationship with something,” he described. “It made me feel at home.”  

As Mr. Jenkins grew his talents to become the all-time leading scorer at Wings Academy in the Bronx and one of the top prep scorers in the city’s history, basketball would also provide him with a free college education at an NCAA Division I program and the opportunity to later play professionally overseas.  

In the years since ending his playing career and returning to the Edenwald neighborhood, Mr. Jenkins has been helping to provide a home for other young community members through a basketball league he founded with childhood friend Vance Callahan. Seeing a need for more local resources, Mr. Jenkins said he wanted to provide programs to give hope to young boys and girls living in the same community where he was raised.  

“I decided to come back and give back to the youth here,” said Mr. Jenkins, who earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and now works as an entrepreneur.  

The league was born in 2013 as the Grenada Black Top Classic, referencing a local street and the nearby blacktop courts. As the competition grew, it evolved into the Grenada Built to Win Classic, now held over 10 weeks each summer and drawing hundreds of boys and girls ages 8 to 18 from across the city to Edenwald Houses.   

Games have become the place to be for the Edenwald community, with spectators bringing lawn chairs to witness the action and courtside entertainment featuring music, dancing, and grilling. Through the popular community events and associated programming, Mr. Jenkins aims to nurture aspirations for local players, demonstrating that they have the chance to make it to the next level, just as he did.   

“It gives a lot of people some hope and inspiration,” Mr. Jenkins stated. “It makes it feel like home.” 

The Grenada Built to Win Classic celebrated its 11th season in the Bronx this summer.

Grenada Built to Win, which offers free enrollment for players and has expanded to more than 60 teams, recently closed out its 11th anniversary season with a sports banquet honoring this year’s winning squads. The league program is a registered nonprofit that delivers far more than exciting basketball competition, from turkey giveaways and bookbag drives to community cleanups and financial literacy classes.  

Its mission is to empower youth through basketball, mental health programs, tutoring, and restorative circles, while teaching values such as character development, teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship to help participants succeed both on and off the court. 

“It’s not just basketball, it’s more like a family,” noted the league founder, who takes on many roles for the program’s operations, including schedules, game announcer, fundraising, supplying uniforms, and promotions. 

Mr. Jenkins, who eventually hopes to open a school, is focused on mentoring, mental health, and wellness initiatives while helping to create safer and healthier neighborhoods. By giving back to his community, the former standout basketball player and activist is seeking to leave a legacy for future generations to carry on.  

“Life is about what you leave back; it’s not about what you can do for yourself but what you can do for the next generation,” he said. “It’s about inspiring the next generation to want to do the same thing, and eventually I’ll just pass the torch.”  

Featured photo caption: Rasheem Jenkins (right) co-founded the Grenada Built to Win youth basketball league at Edenwald Houses as a way to give back to the local community where he was raised.