Meet Hector

Hector has lived in Harlem for most of his life after his family moved to the neighborhood from Puerto Rico when he was one. He lived in Central Harlem and attended school in the community as well, “I went to P.S. 92, which is on 134th, between Seventh and Eighth Avenue. And then junior high school, I went to 195, which was on Broadway. Then I transferred to 275, which is on 134th between Seventh and Lenox.” While he struggled to connect with some students at 195, his basketball skills helped him make friends easily, “because I know how to play basketball everybody gravitated to me, so it was a good experience.”

He and his friends spent most of their time outside, “There wasn't really much to do back then, so we just hung out on the block…. People used to play music outside their windows. We'd be outside dancing, playing football [and] handball on the fire station [wall].... I mean, normal kid stuff.” Describing the community he grew up in, he says, “It was little bad, little good. Because back then… drugs was… really, really heavy. So I saw a lot of that stuff. But besides that, the community was… very family based. Because we all really grew up on that block. And we also knew kids [within] a five to ten block radius, so we were all cool.” He takes the lessons he learned growing up and tries to pass it down to the next generation. One of the ways he does so is through his coaching for the Riverside Hawks, “I try to prevent these other kids from doing what I did and making sure that they reach their full potential, whether it's going pro, going to college, [being] a doctor, fireman, policeman…. Basketball and sports in general can take you to places that a lot of other things can't…. [It] can help through networking, especially more in college.” Basketball is an integral part of his own Harlem story. He says, “I started playing basketball with my friends, but then I think when I was, like, 10 or 11, I got taken away from my parents. They had me in foster homes and I ended up in the group home. So a guy who just recently passed away, his name is Tony Lopez, saw me up in the group home, and brought me back down here to play with the New York Gauchos…. Back then it was Riverside and Gauchos. So those [were] everybody’s dream teams that they wanted to play for. So the fact that when I was here… I didn't think I was good enough to go play there, but somebody saw my talent. He was like, 'Look, I gotta bring you down to a tryout,' and I made the team.” After he graduated high school he got into running basketball tournaments in the community. He helped run the Positive Steps tournament on 133rd and St. Nicholas, where a coach named Steve Harris encouraged him to try coaching. Despite initial hesitations, Hector eventually embraced the role and has been coaching for 20 years now. Currently he coaches two teams, “My 6th graders won a national championship three years ago. My 7th graders now, recently won back to back championships…. I love both teams. Parents are very cool. They let me coach.”

“There wasn’t really much to do back then, so we just hung out on the block.... People used to play music outside their windows. We’d be outside dancing, playing football [and] handball on the fire station [wall].... I mean, normal kid stuff.”

He sees himself continuing to coach his kids to greater heights, “I see us continuously winning. I mean, but, I mean, we win because we're always practicing. So I practice with both teams four times a week. And outside of practice, we have free training with my assistant coach, Jomo. So they should be in the gym, like, every day to be honest, four times with me and he got two days of training…. So they [are] consistently in the gym. I mean, the kids that really want to do it. I don't force them to do it. You want to do it, do it.... I know my kids be there.” He stresses the importance of afterschool activities and team sports in building camaraderie and getting kids off the streets and working towards something productive, “I want more community centers out here…. I think the kids need a lot of these after school programs to help them with their work. I work at an after school program, too, but I'm in the Bronx on Highbridge, so I see the need for that type of stuff in every community…. I would like for us to open a lot more community centers and hire people to help these kids so they can better their education.”

Hector views his journey as a success story, “I came to Harlem, my mother moved us from Puerto Rico, here. My first day on the block of course, I... barely knew any English, so I had to really grow into it and learn the culture, the people. Everybody loved me… but growing up… [there] was like a lot of violence on my block. So I grew to try to get away from that as a youngin…. I did finish high school, but I didn't go to college. I didn't think it was for me. That's what made me get into running tournaments and then eventually becoming a coach. So my [path] from the street to now, me helping these kids not do what I used to do, I think I've become a success story.” He tries to educate his children on his experiences and encourage them to push themselves further, “I didn't go to college because I didn't want to go to college but now they have a chance through basketball to get scholarships to get to college. So that's my main focus with them. Like, 'Listen, y'all gotta focus. Y'all could do something I didn't do…. I ain't ashamed of it… but y'all have a chance to really become somebody, and then eventually you might have kids. And then your kids will look up to you and say, 'Okay, he works hard. Let me work harder and outdo him.’ So… I told them, ‘I want y'all to outdo me. Like, I didn't go to college but you have a chance.' A very big chance because they're all very good at basketball.” 

“My favorite memories would be the block parties. I mean, they used to close the block up from sunup to sundown, and we didn’t have to worry about no cars coming through. We just ran around and did what we wanted to do. That would be my favorite. I miss [them].”

Over the years he has seen Harlem change and improve but looks back on his memories fondly, “My favorite memories would be the block parties. I mean, they used to close the block up from sunup to sundown, and we didn't have to worry about no cars coming through. We just ran around and did what we wanted to do. That would be my favorite. I miss [them].” What he loves most about Harlem is the diversity and inclusivity that create the fabric of the community; everyone coming together, sharing cultures, and making unique creations only Harlem can. Through basketball and his work in the community, Hector has found a way to give back to the neighborhood he loves, ensuring that the next generation of kids has the opportunities he may not have had. He’s proud of where he comes from, and looks forward to what is to come for Harlem, his teams, himself, and his family.