The Jungle is a lot of things to a lot of people. But the North side basketball court could use some TLC.
“Everything from crack repairs, to patches,” says Cole McCloskey. “Just resurfacing the court itself, new rims, backboards.”
That's where Cole and Clay McCloskey come in -- brothers who grew up playing at the Jungle -- and still do. For the last few years, they tried to find funding for the project.
Local artist Janel Young had the answer. She knew of Every Court Has A Story -- a contest where courts across the country battle for renovation funding.
“We want to get people involved,” she says. “We want to get people excited about something that not only looks pretty but has real weight and real meaning behind it.”
Submissions included a video explaining the importance of the court to the community. And made a connection between basketball and jazz
Two areas that Cole says have more in common than you might think.
Often a forgotten Pittsburgh past, despite deep roots.
“Because there’s courts in the North Side, we figured, well, this is going to be a great opportunity to connect basketball and jazz being similar,” Cole says. It’s very sporadic, but there’s also a plan to it the whole time.”
The court with the most votes wins. The Jungle had tough competition against a court in Brooklyn, but Janel says Pittsburgh showed up.
“For us to pull through like we did and for the whole city to rally behind us, I felt like it was so special, regardless of what the outcome was going to be,” Janel says.
The organizers were so impressed with both submissions, that both are receiving full funding. Part of the renovation will be a full-court mural, which Janel will design and paint.
Hannah Hunter has been a part of several court renovations nationwide, now including The Jungle.
We’ll do ribbon cutting event, and a skills camp after the court is done,” she says. “The community impact is endless.”
The Jungle, serving generations for decades, now has a new lease on life -- potentially paving a path for the next Pittsburgh basketball great, or at the very least bonding communities for generations to come.
It’s a way to excite the population of Pittsburgh about the game of basketball,” Clay says. “Not only is it a great way to create friendships, but it’s a way to keep people active, and to appreciate the city and what it has to offer.”