My Block, My Hood, My City aims to "Save Streetball" by restoring outdoor courts

CHICAGO (CBS) -- When crews set up for a basketball tournament in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Friday, they made small improvements for a much larger mission: to "Save Streetball."

A three-man crew set up bleachers in Foster Park for a weekend 3-on-3 basketball tournament on the South Side, while tattered nets hung in the distance, some only half-attached to the rim.

"If you have equipment that's out here that's in bad shape, that's just going to discourage people from coming out," said Leon Peatry, program manager with My Block, My Hood, My City. "We deserve the best. The people in this community deserve the best, and we're going to make sure that they get that. No matter what, we're gonna make sure they get it."

He was repairing the nets ahead of their tournament and community event, just as organizers from My Block, My Hood, My City have done all summer at parks around Chicago, a strategy to #SaveStreetball.

"The reaction that we get from people when we put up these nets are, 'Thank you. We're so happy that somebody really cares about what's going on out here,'" Peatry said.

The efforts didn't to unnoticed by 16-year-old Melvin Hines, who is no stranger to the game.

"It actually opens up my heart. It makes me want to go to basketball courts more, instead of indoor gyms; you know, being able to play outside, see the ball go through the rim," he said.

There are more than a 770 outdoor basketball hoops in the city of Chicago, and organizers from My Block, My Hood, My City want to make sure that they all are in good condition, but they said that costs money, estimating it would take about $3,000 to repair them all.

"There's, for a lot of people, two different Chicagos, and there's parts of the city that feel like they are very heavily invested in, and other parts that don't feel that way, and I think it's particularly a strong feeling for youth," organizer Julian Miller said.

Hines said he's confident coming into the tournament, showing the new nets are part of a winning strategy.

"Y'all might see me get a dunk," he said.

The "Save Streetball" tournament and clinic starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Foster Park, 1440 W. 84th St., with other community events wrapped in. My Block, My Hood, My City is still accepting more players.