Lincoln nonprofit hosts basketball tournament to raise awareness for youth mentorship

A Lincoln nonprofit is hosting a basketball tournament Friday in an effort to connect at-risk youth to mentoring, training and community engagement. The Honesty Project works to empower kids considered at-risk to make smart decisions and reach success through these resources.

“This event isn't a tool to help them get out of the mindset,” said Clay Anders, Honesty Project founder and executive director. “It's the aftercare that's going to help them get out of that mindset. This is just the tool to reel them in so they can see what it is we offer, and then that's where we continue the aftercare and the mentorship.”

The games and dunk contest will feature Lincoln and Omaha teams, big-name Husker players and social media influencer Cam Wilder.

“They won't show up for a lecture, but they'll show up for a social media influencer. And when that social media influencer is somebody I'm able to talk with and be cool with and organize something with, then it gives validity to what I'm doing and what I'm saying,” Anders said.

The tournament is at the Sandhills Global Event Center in Lincoln and is free to attend. Anders will choose two crowd members to play against the social media celebrity Wilder.

According to the Kids Count in Nebraska 2024 report, nearly 8,000 youths were arrested last year.

This is the second time Anders has invited Wilder to an event. Last summer, a "park takeover" basketball game in Lincoln drew more than 1,000 people and forced Lincoln Police to ask crowd members to leave. The Honest Project organized the setup this year to turn the event center into a basketball court with the help of some of its students and trustees from the Lancaster County Detention Center.