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For Fathers And Sons, Love and Basketball
Leon Kahiem, 8, learns the proper jump-shooting technique as his father, Akmeer, looks on at the Allan Houston 'Father Knows Best' basketball retreat in Brewster, N.Y.
(Helayne Seidman - For The Washington Post)
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The 60 pairs of fathers and sons as well as mentors and mentees were mostly from New York's five boroughs, though some traveled to the event from farther afield. Supreme, 38, for instance, is a manager for Verizon who grew up in the District and now lives in Laurel. His son, Nikkei, lives in New York.
The Cutinos, Robert Sr. and Robert Jr., live in the Bronx. They already spend lots of time together, the dad coaching his 13-year-old's basketball team.
But with a wife and two other children, his job at a law firm and his mentoring work at his nonprofit mentoring program, the elder Cutino said it's tough to get it all together.
"Sometimes you get so caught up in your life, you don't get to spend time individually with your kid like this," said Robert Cutino Sr., who fully embraces the challenge from the Houstons to reach out to more than just your own children.
"The streets are just devouring our young men," he said. "You can't replace their fathers but you can show them it's not the end of the world that their father is not there."
The entire retreat, including hotels, meals and giveaways, costs in excess of $100,000, which Allan Houston pays out of his own pocket. His goal next year is to expand to other cities.
Houston said that while the event is faith-based, he does not promote religion. For him, it's all about building a relationship with God, something he says everyone can relate to.
During one of the learning sessions last weekend, a father broke down in tears and publicly asked his son, "Is there anything I don't do, or that you need?" Others gathered around him to pray and comfort them. There were a few nervous titters as one youth pastor, Blake Wilson of Houston, talked about the biblical view of sex. Sons leaned over to fathers to ask difficult questions.
The physical exertion of the retreat also took its toll on some of the fathers, who were trying to keep up with energetic sons. After one gym session, one young man told his father, "Come on old man, you still got it."
