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Brooklyn Basketball youth training center to open at old Modell's across from Barclays
By
Samir Ferdowsi
Published Jun 17, 2025
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BSE Global
By
Samir Ferdowsi
Published Jun 17, 2025
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The parent company for the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets plans to open a new youth basketball training complex, right across from the Barclays Center.
BSE Global, which owns both teams, is managing the construction of the facility, which is set to open this fall and be operated by Brooklyn Basketball, its community youth sports program. At the moment, the site is occupied by an abandoned Modell’s Sporting Goods, which shuttered in 2020 after the company went bankrupt.
The 18,600-square-foot site will provide new after-school programs for local youth, training camps, clinics and a homework area, according to an announcement from the company.
The announcement described the programs as a “community-first basketball experience” but didn’t clarify whether it would charge for those programs. BSE didn't immediately return a message Tuesday seeking more details. It said the programs would complement Brooklyn Basketball’s existing community programming, which includes partnerships for programs in more than 200 city schools, as well as community clinics across Brooklyn.
The new facility will include two full courts, a “shooting lab” half-court and multipurpose court flooring for other events, the company said. It said there would be programs for kids 6 to 10 years old on weekdays, including all-girls training on Wednesdays.
“The Brooklyn Basketball Training Center is a game-changer, not just for basketball, but for the entire Brooklyn community,” the New York Liberty's head coach Sandy Brondello said in the statement. “It’s about giving the next generation a space to learn the fundamentals, be inspired, and create the sense of community that basketball so brilliantly provides.”
BSE originally announced the site in September, along with a schematic of how the facility will be laid out, as described by news blog Atlantic Yards Report at the time.
Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods are still waiting for another nearby project to get underway.
The development firm Greenland was supposed to deck over the railyards east of the Barclays Center and build hundreds of affordable apartments by the end of May or face millions of dollars in monthly penalties, according to the terms of a legally binding agreement from 2014. Greenland and its investors have yet to break ground on the project.
David Brand contributed to this story.
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Samir Ferdowsi
Samir is a day-of reporter on the general assignment and breaking news desk. Previously Samir was a reporter, host and producer at VICE News.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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