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03/14/2023 08:44 AMKim Rossi has always been passionate about creating opportunity and helping others, whether it’s in the athletic world or her everyday life. The North Haven resident and president of the North Haven Senior Basketball League (NHSBL) has done just that for the past nine years, helping create a path for kids to play basketball beyond their competitive days.
Kim started the NHSBL nine years ago, after her son graduated from eighth grade.
“The following year, he was going to be a freshman and did not know if he was going to make the high school team,” says Kim. “He figured we would just play rec. There was no league because the youth league stopped. We would have had to go outside of North Haven.”
Kim talked to the youth league in town and asked if they were able to extend it to high school players, but unfortunately, they were unable to. Passionate about her goal and wanting to do everything she could to give high school basketball players a chance to compete with their peers, Kim then went to First Selectman, Mike Frieda, and asked if he would assist her in getting space to start a league for players who wish to continue playing basketball without being on the North Haven High School team.
With the help of Frieda, Kim went to Aces Millroad School, getting permission to use the gym for practices and games. From there, the rest was history.
“Every year we have graduated around 50 kids from the eighth grade that want to continue to play,” says Kim. “The first year everyone was skeptical of players joining, but we ended up putting together 12 teams and then we were able to grow the program to up to 14 teams.”
One of the biggest challenges for Kim initially was gaining interest from the community to join her on the committee for the basketball program. Up until 2020, John Macdonell (Vice President and Treasurer) and Kim were the only two members of the board.
After COVID-19, additional people decided to join the board, including Dan Vaughn (Player and Coach Coordinator), Sal Giaimo (Secretary), and Jeff Novicki (Communications Assistant). Kim’s husband Randy (Officials Manager) rounded out the five-person committee this past year.
As the league features up to 14 teams each year, any students in grades nine through 12 who are North Haven residents can join, whether they attend North Haven High School or not. Kim highlights that the kids enjoy using the league as a time to come together and play with other kids who they might not see at school daily.
“A lot of the kids like that too, because they played with all of those kids for all of those years,” says Kim. ‘They go to different high schools and are able to come back to play with their friends again.”
Bill Connolly has been with the league for four years, having been an assistant coach for his kids while they were in the league and now being a head coach. Connolly commends Kim for the hard work she’s put into the program and the impact she’s made on the North Haven community.
“Kim has made an incredibly positive impact in simply forming and organizing the league, keeping the league going after her son graduated, continuing to be part of a board that runs the league while dealing with some of the challenges of youth sports,” says Connolly. “I am most impressed by the time that her whole family dedicates and volunteers to the league, spending at least 10 hours per week maintaining the league. They encourage as many players as possible to come out and play.”
One of the biggest obstacles for the NHSBL that they have faced every year has been finding a big enough gym to play in, especially for the championship game.
“The biggest challenge at first was the gym space, that was huge. We have these big high school kids playing at an elementary gym—that is the challenge,” says Kim. “For our championship game, every year it is a challenge to get a big gym. We cannot fit the amount of people that want to come to the game to fit in the gym. Every year I have to find space and every year there is a challenge of finding a full-size gym.”
As can sometimes happen when relying on community members to step up and help, finding game officials was often something Kim struggled with, especially in the early days of the program, however, the sponsorship volunteers and support from the community have helped keep the league moving in a positive direction.
“A challenge we sometimes had was getting referees because I know they are scarce. We have been lucky in that respect,” says Kim. “We have never had a challenge of sponsorships; everyone has been fantastic.”
One thing that stands out about the recreational basketball program that attracted 93 players this year is that Kim and the rest of the board ensure that the seniors get their special moment at the end of every season, just like they would if they were playing their last home game on the high school team.
“We do a seniors vs. coaches game that follows the championship game to honor the seniors, like high school sports have senior night,” says Kim. “This is really good to send off the seniors and it is really fun. We pack the gym, and it is a really well-attended event.”
Connolly is grateful to have been able to help the program continue to evolve over the last few years and is excited for its future.
“I am looking forward to many more seasons of the kids having fun with their friends from town in an organized and structured format. It is great that we have this program for high school students as recreational basketball typically ends in eighth grade,” says Connolly. “The best part of the league is the kids’ opportunity to play basketball, stay for the games after theirs, and have fun rooting for their friends that are playing. At the end of the day, it is all about the kids having fun with their friends.”
As for Kim, she hopes to place the program in good hands with someone who can continue the success that she started almost a decade ago, and who can continue to encourage more athletes to get involved.
“Ideally, I will be handing it off after I finish my 10th year next year. I am hoping to do that or work with the youth league to extend it as one league, just because the program has been so successful,” says Kim. “I am hoping to hand it off to someone that is in it for another long haul. We have always had fantastic coaches, without them we would not have the league; it has just been a great experience.”