Corey Allen, 11, takes the ball to the hoop as he warms up during the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department's new youth basketball program, Ballin' on the Boulevard. The event was held on tennis courts near MacArthur Boulevard, across the street from Cheney Academy.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Trey Roberson recently stood at the back of a tricked out Washtenaw County sheriff’s vehicle with fancy rims and watched videos of his peers shooting hoops.

The bass was thumping, and Roberson was excited for the finals of Ballin’ on the Boulevard, the sheriff’s department’s new youth basketball program on MacArthur Boulevard in Superior Township.

If he wasn’t there, the 16-year-old would likely be hanging out in front of The Party Store, which deputies have identified as a hotspot of criminal activity.

“I’d probably be trying to go hustle some money,” Roberson said. “This is good for the community.”

Roberson was among 43 boys ages 8 to 17 participating in the tournament on a late August afternoon on the tennis courts across from Cheney Academy in the Willow Run school district.

The program aims to help revitalize a neighborhood where calls to the sheriff’s department during the summer have nearly doubled over the past five years.

It’s modeled after Ballin’ in the Willow - an eight-week, three-on-three basketball tournament started by West Willow resident Derrick Jackson, who is now the sheriff’s department’s director of community engagement.

Residents on the Boulevard have grappled with shootings, assaults, burglaries, drug trafficking and gang activity - some in broad daylight, said sheriff’s Lt. Jim Anuszkiewicz.

“It’s not something we’re gonna turn our backs on,” he said.

Jamaar Bonner, 17, a varsity basketball player at Willow Run High School, has enjoyed keeping busy with the program.

He looked for a job during the summer, including at local fast food restaurants, but struck out.

Derrick Jackson, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department's director of community engagement, speaks to players gathered for the finals of Ballin' on the Boulevard.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“I think it’s nice, you know what I’m saying, for them to do something for the neighborhood,” he said. “It ain’t no heavy competition, but there’s people out here that make you sweat a little bit.”

Players with the most wins during the tournament nabbed trophies, basketballs and gift cards.

The prizes were on display on top of the sheriff’s department’s Chevrolet HHR, which was purchased with drug forfeiture money.

For Sgt. Richard Williams, who works at the Washtenaw County Jail, the vehicle is a good way to get teenagers to open up.

“It attracts them and gives you a chance to interact with them in a positive way,” he said.

Don Garrett, a local preacher who lives in the neighborhood, wishes there were more such programs for children.

“They don’t have nothing to do,” said Garrett, an assistant coach of the boy’s freshman basketball team at Willow Run High School. “You got broken homes. Single parents. The streets are raising the kids.”

From left, Tony Walker, 11, Tyree Bibins, 8, and Corey Allen, 11, watch Dajuan Thomas, 11, flip over a tennis net as the group takes a break during Ballin' on the Boulevard.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Latin Davis pulled up in his sport utility vehicle after getting off work at a local production plant. 

His 12-year-old son, who is named after him, ran up to the car to show off a trophy after winning “Best in Boulevard, 13 and Under.” The boy was glowing and said he enjoys the competition.

“You can get better and better out here if you play with other people," he said.

His father said the program is right up the children’s alley.

“Sometimes you need a little shoulder to lean on and this right here, this is great for the kids,” he said. “You got some good cops out there that care for the neighborhood. If they didn’t really care, they wouldn’t start something like this.”

Freddie Jackson will run the the tournament next year and is looking forward to his players squaring off against players in West Willow.

“We want to get the young ladies Ballin’ on the Boulevard, too," he said.

Derrick Jackson, the program's founder, said residents told him children would fight on the court and it would never work. Instead, the children feel they're part of something, he said.

"It really builds the community in the sense of ownership," he said.

Marvin Wilson, 17, who recently moved to the neighborhood, came to watch people play.

“When they told me about this program, I was like, 'Yeah, I like this."

Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at leehiggins@annarbor.com or 734-623-2527.