CLOSING the GAP ACADEMY
Giving Kids Something
to Dream About.
Youth Ideas
SUMMIT 2026 Recap
August 29, 2026 · Jordan High School · Watts
The Closing the Gap Youth Summit is a one-day leadership experience that uses sports, mentorship, education, and community partnerships to prepare young people for success beyond athletics.
Youth Summit 2026
Hosts
Co-founder of Closing the Gap Academy and head basketball coach at Jordan High School, mentoring the next generation of Watts kids.
Co-founder of Closing the Gap Academy and a Watts-raised basketball standout, earning WCC honors at USF before transferring to Oregon.
CEO of Project Blue, General Manager of the Watts Rams youth football program and co-founder of 4wrdProgress.
Guest Speakers
Robert Horry
Seven-Time NBA Champion · Lakers
“Big Shot Rob” won seven NBA championships across Houston, the Lakers and San Antonio, and is one of the game’s great clutch performers — not least the buzzer-beater against Sacramento in 2002.
DeMar DeRozan
Six-Time NBA All-Star · Compton
Born in Compton in 1989, he went from Compton High to USC to the ninth pick of the 2009 draft and six All-Star selections. He is also the NBA’s most prominent voice on mental health.
Chris Copeland
NBA Forward · New York Knicks
An Indiana University standout who built his path through pro leagues overseas before earning an NBA roster spot with the Knicks, Copeland's story is a case study in staying ready and never counting yourself out.
Frank “Nitty” Session
Watts · Jordan High Alumnus
Born in Watts and a graduate of Jordan High — the summit’s own venue. Four straight Drew League MVP awards and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year.
Advanced Development
Financial Literacy and NIL
The Factory
Budgeting, credit, saving and how NIL deals actually work — so that money, whatever its source, becomes something students decide about rather than something that simply happens to them.
Social Media Branding and Marketing
Sideline Management
Using the platforms rather than being used by them: what to post, what to keep private, and how a feed becomes a marketable asset instead of a liability.
Arts, Culture and Expression
The Fortune Society
Finding a voice through creative work — so that students learn to tell their own story in their own language, rather than settling for someone else's version of it.
Identity and Mental Wellbeing
Game on Game Foundation
Naming who you are apart from what you do on the court or field, and building the tools to carry that through pressure — so identity holds steady no matter what the scoreboard says.
In Collaboration With
Leading the Effort
WHO WE ARE
Coach. Mentor. Community Leader.
TYRONE
RILEY SR.
@ty50ne_ Raised by his grandmother in Watts, Tyrone Riley Sr. found his calling on the basketball court and never left. He built a life around the game — and around the young men who needed someone to believe in them.
He played college basketball at the University of San Francisco — the same school his son would later attend — and brought that experience back to Jordan High School, where he coaches today. His connection to the community runs deep, and that's exactly why the kids listen.
"You have to give them something to dream about."
— Tyrone Riley Sr.
Guest Speaker
Harvard University & Harvard Kennedy School
Leadership in challenging situations.
The King Center
Speaking in the home of Dr. King's legacy of nonviolence.
Aspen Ideas Festival
A blueprint for peace: the power of dreams.
Watts Made.
TYRONE
RILEY JR.
@ty5rone._ Tyrone Riley Jr. grew up in Watts balancing basketball, academics, and the weight of a community the world too often writes off. His dad showed up to every game, and that presence shaped everything.
He went on to earn WCC All-Freshman honors at the University of San Francisco, then WCC All-Conference Second Team as a sophomore before transferring to the University of Oregon. He carries Watts with him everywhere.
"When people say, 'Watts kids can't do this, Watts kids can't do that,' we use it as motivation."
— Tyrone Riley Jr.
Highlights
St. Pius X–St. Matthias Academy
2024 graduate · 4.0 student
University of San Francisco
All-WCC Second Team (2026) · WCC All-Freshman Team (2025) · WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention (2026)
University of Oregon
Ranked No. 8 among small forwards nationally
What We Do
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Closing the Gap eliminates the systemic barriers that keep young people in Watts from reaching their full potential — through hands-on programming, community events, and one-on-one mentorship, we connect youth in Watts with pathways they may not have known existed.
Youth Ideas Summit
A one-day convening in Watts — sports performance, life-skills workshops, a leadership panel and an inspirational keynote.
Basketball Camps
Free summer camps and travel tournaments — court time, college-campus visits, and competition beyond their zip code.
Impact Sessions
Regular mentoring, a meal, and support at Jordan High School and Markham Middle School.