Hoops Return To Lakewood: LOBC Delivers Trial Courts After a Three Year Hiatus

The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee (LOBC), in collaboration with the City of Lakewood, is delivering a return of trial outdoor basketball courts. The courts will open in the next couple of weeks. LOBC spent months lobbying city officials to allow a return of outdoor courts. According to LOBC, Lakewood remained one of the few cities in Northeast Ohio that did not have outdoor courts. “Outdoor basketball was successful in Lakewood for over 30 years,” states LOBC co-founder Art Gold, “This is a step in the right direction and a victory for Lakewood’s youth."

Two side-by-side hoops are being installed at Kaufman Park and will be evaluated as a pilot project. Success of the pilot program will be judged on how basketball users follow the court's basic rules. The rules include: no wheels, no tobacco products, no foul language, and sharing the courts with other court users. LOBC’s volunteers will monitor the courts during peak hours to ensure proper usage of the facilities and to ensure that the rules are followed. LOBC hopes that the success of this program will help foster a brighter basketball future for the youth of Lakewood.

“There are multiple locations that we are targeting for outdoor courts. Kaufman is our first step. If it is judged as a success, then more hoops will follow,” said Art. The trial period is expected to last 100 days, its success will be judged on how well the courts are attended and how closely the rules are followed.