“An outstanding mentor”
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A local coach was recently
honored with a prestigious
award.
On Monday, May 24, the Jr.
Knicks announced that Clarence
“Mugsy” Legget had been
named 2021 Jr. Knicks Coach of
the Year — an award given to a
youth coach who has made an
impact on his players as well as
the community.
Currently the executive director
of the Wiz Kids basketball
program, as well as the director
of the SCAN Afterschool
Program, Legget has always
made it a mission to make a
positive impact on youth during
his basketball coaching career,
which began in the early
1990s.
Legget grew up in Edenwald
and quickly developed an appreciation
for the benefi ts which
were provided to him, through
a combination of academics and
athletic skills which he would
use on the basketball court.
Shortly after he began
coaching basketball, Clarence
Jr. Knicks honor local as Coach of the Year
started a basketball recreation
program in the Bronx, with
only volunteers and members
of his family.
Soon enough, the program
“Wiz Kids” caught on in the
community and began expanding
to various gymnaiums
and outside basketball courts
throughout the borough.
Along with his three decades
of coaching experience,
Clarence also spend time traveling
with the Harlem Wizards,
an independent entertainment
basketball team which previously
featured hometown NBA
greats such as Nate “Tiny” Archibald
and Connie Hawkins.
The Jr. Knicks Coach of the
Year award, presented by Hospital
for Special Surgery, will
provide a grant to Coach Legget’s
youth basketball program,
the ‘Wiz Kids’.
Coach Legget was nominated
for the award by hundreds
of youth basketball
coaches throughout the fi ve
boroughs and the tri-state area.
“I am humbled and honored
BRONX TIMES R 32 EPORTER, JUNE 4-10, 2021 BTR
to be named the Jr. Knicks
Coach of the Year,” said Mr.
Legget. “I cannot believe that,
after 30 years of coaching, I am
receiving this award. It feels
great, although I never did it for
the recognition.”
As the Jr. Knicks Coach of
the Year, Coach Legget will receive
a $10,000 equipment donation
to his youth basketball organization,
as well as a $5,000
donation towards facility rental
costs and a $2,000 donation to
his Wiz Kids youth basketball
organization.
“These funds will help continue
to build my community
and give the kids in my program
access to opportunities
they could have only dreamed
of before,” Legget said.
The award presentation,
which was held at his team’s
practice at Baychester Middle
School, also included a surprise
visit from former New York
Knicks’ player John Starks, a
fan favorite who played eight
seasons for the Knicks, from
1990-98.
The second and third place
winners will also receive funding
for their respective youth
basketball organizations.
“This award honors the exceptional
work of Coach Clarence
Legget, an outstanding
mentor who exemplifi es the
qualties of leadership and integrity
– both on and off the
court,” said Louis A. Shapiro.
“These qualities are so important
because they play a key
role in allowing us to succeed
– especially in challenging situations.”
The Jr. Knicks youth basketball
program teaches basketball
to boys and girls, ages
5-14, showing them the fundamentals
of the sport while also
instilling the core values of basketball
and life – teamwork, respect
and sportsmanship.
The Jr. Knicks present a check to Clarence “Musgy” Legget for new equipment.
Photo courtesy of the Jr. Knicks
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