It's 7:20 in the morning in Gravesend, a neighborhood of Brooklyn. Birds are flying around, the sun is rising, and Gerard Papa is getting ready to go to early mass.

    Papa used to go to St. Mary Mother of Jesus Roman Catholic Church with his mother, Elena J. Papa, everyday until she passed away in 2015. Nowadays he walks the two blocks by himself.

    Papa is the founder of Flames Youth Basketball, a historical team and league, which is entering its 50th anniversary season. Almost 500 players from ages 8 to 19 have been going through tryouts every weekend since the beginning of September. Last week, on October 10, registration for the 2023-24 season ended, starting in the first weekend of November at John Dewey High School.

    A Columbia Law graduate, Papa felt tired of preparing Wall Street corporate tax, and abandoned it to focus on basketball. He has coached more than 20,000 players, including NBA players like Stephon Malburry and Lance Stephenson. Flames and Papa have a history of fighting for diversity in an all-white league, conflicts with the Board of Education and issues with the police.

    The catholic devotee spent the following days after registration calling players and letting them know what team they are assigned. Kids come from every borough of New York City, and from various backgrounds. Papa not only distributes them by skill level but also tries to diversify each team, making sure kids can make new friends. Many men who have played for Flames in the past bring their children to his program.

    Organizing Flames and coaching practice most of the time by himself, he charges players a $10 tournament fee. Sometimes, after their training sessions, Papa drives his Cadillac, Flames embossed on his New York State plate, to Parkview Diner to grab a bite with senior players who he got close to throughout the years. When Papa had COVID-19, some of them helped by bringing supplies and medication to his house. Last year they threw him a birthday party and gave him a pair of Nike shorts.

    Papa never had kids and regrets never getting married, he always lived with his mother. When he was put at gunpoint by the New York Police, Papa said that he didn't want to tell Elena what was happening, she did everything for him.