Academics. Basketball. Community.

Welcome to ABC Pilsen

ABC Pilsen began with one dad who simply wanted to help his two kids grow their basketball skills. What started as a small, neighborhood effort has grown into a weekly program serving more than 100 young people from Pilsen and surrounding West Side communities.

Pilsen has long been a vibrant home for Latino art, music, food, and deep community roots. But it has also faced generations of challenges—poverty, gang violence, underfunded schools, and a youth dropout rate that remains far too high. Today, those pressures are compounded by rapid gentrification, which threatens to push out the very families and cultural identity that built this neighborhood. Affordable housing is shrinking, long-term residents are being displaced, and families often struggle to find stable, safe spaces for their children to learn, play, and grow.

For more than 15 years, ABC Pilsen has served as an anchor for local youth—offering consistency, mentorship, and a community that refuses to let its young people fall through the cracks. Through basketball, we teach teamwork, confidence, and leadership, providing kids with a safe place to stay focused, stay motivated, and stay connected to their neighborhood.

ABC Pilsen is known for developing players at any skill level into confident, competitive athletes. Our organized tournaments give participants the chance to showcase everything they’ve learned on the court. But our commitment goes deeper than athletics. Over the years, we’ve expanded to include academic enrichment, embracing our guiding principle: “Academics through Athletics.” We believe the lessons learned on the court—discipline, persistence, accountability—are the same values that support success in school and in life.

By prioritizing academics alongside basketball, we help our youth build self-esteem, strengthen family relationships, and make healthy, informed choices for their futures. In a neighborhood experiencing both cultural pride and gentrification-driven uncertainty, ABC Pilsen offers stability, opportunity, and belonging.

We are proof that basketball fundamentals go hand-in-hand with self-development, social responsibility, and the power of a community that shows up for its kids.