The West Baltimore native became one of Bucknell University’s greatest basketball players, reached the doorstep of the NBA and discovered that a full life would require him to go beyond the game. (BALTIMORE – August 4, 2026) – Al Leslie shows up. That may sound like a simple statement, but the older I get, the more I understand how much it means. He shows up for Baltimore basketball. He shows up for Greg Branch’s Legends Tournament. He shows up for the people who remember him—and for those of us still discovering exactly who he is. That is how this story…

Michael Dukes: The Legend Behind Pikesville’s Dynasty | BMORENews.com Head coach Michael Dukes has led Pikesville High School’s girls’ basketball program to five straight Maryland state titles — but before he was building a dynasty, he was Southern High School and Towson basketball royalty himself, playing after the likes of Towson Hall of Famer Roger Dickens. In this Legends of Baltimore conversation with Doni Glover, Dukes talks about why the Dome at Madison is the true proving ground for Baltimore basketball, honors legends the city has lost like Jojo Parker, and breaks down what makes Baltimore hoopers different — the…

Legends of Baltimore: Beyond the Game (BALTIMORE – August 3, 2026) – Dwayne “Kosher” Wood was standing outside a basketball camp when I called him. That detail says almost everything. Decades after Baltimore basketball helped shape and protect him, Kosher is still around the game, still around the children, and still trying to provide the next generation with some of what his generation received. This time, however, the young people would not have to pay for it. “When we do stuff, I like for the kids to have no cost,” Wood said. “Because when we came up, everything—we didn’t have…

Mr. William Wells: Discover the inspiring journey of overcoming adversity to give back to inner-city youth. Learn how staying … Watch full video on YouTube

Introducing Legends of Baltimore: More Than a Game, a BMORENews series preserving the athletes, mentors, institutions, and hidden histories that shaped our city. (BALTIMORE – August 2, 2026) – Let’s get one thing straight from the start: I am not presenting myself as Baltimore’s leading sports statistician. I don’t claim to be a standard sports reporter. If you want somebody who has Baltimore sports on lock today, I refer you to Troy Hackley, the man behind Urban Sports Beat. Troy has spent years covering our athletes—from Little League and youth programs to high school, college and beyond. Back in the day,…

DuBose has a long history of supporting Baltimore youth through the AAU. Thank you for your service for the past 40 years. Watch full video on YouTube

Gregory Branch and the Talley Ho Foundation brought boys, girls, Legends and generations of Baltimore basketball history together at the Dome—while the Brunson League Finals delivered high-level action at UA House at Fayette (BALTIMORE – August 2, 2026) – For anyone who tells you it is just a game, tell them, “Surely, you jest.” It is more than a game. For many inner-city youth, basketball can be defining. One’s ability to handle the rock can help determine a young person’s trajectory. In some communities, hockey is the go-to sport. In other communities, soccer defines the culture. We just witnessed that…

This man IS the story of Baltimore basketball history. Coach Wells. Coach William Wells retired after 28 seasons leading the boys’ basketball program at St. Frances Academy, where he recorded more than 500 victories, won six Baltimore Catholic League tournament championships and guided the Panthers to four appearances in the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament. Yet his legacy extends far beyond wins and trophies. Soft-spoken and deeply respected, Wells used basketball to mentor generations of young men and help them find direction in life. His enduring message was simple: “Don’t let basketball use you. Use basketball.” After the 2007–2008 season,…

“My head is bloody, but unbowed.”— William Ernest Henley, “Invictus” (WOODLAWN – July 29, 2026) – Timmy Greene doesn’t want the spotlight. He never has. Ask around Baltimore basketball circles, and you’ll hear the same thing over and over: he’s the guy who does the foundational work, the gritty work, the work nobody else wants to do — and he shows up, year after year, without fail. “Timmy Greene is the salt of the earth,” said Al Robinson, a City College basketball alum who has attended the last two 1 Baltimore Cookouts. “Timmy and Donnie Joy, as human beings, have…

(EASTSIDE POET GARDEN – July 14, 2026) – When people think about Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, they think about championships. They think about politicians, military leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, judges, doctors, and Hall of Fame athletes. And they should. But there’s another side of Dunbar that deserves just as much recognition—the side built on service, on community, on the understanding that leadership isn’t measured only by titles or trophies, but by how many lives you touch along the way. There are people who are the salt of the earth. People who understand people, and understand how to bring people together.…