Joliet West alum’s basketball clinic focuses on mental health as well as physical performance

A college student running his own nonprofit is hosting his second basketball clinic this year in August.

Justus League Hoop Inc. will tentatively host the Back-to-School Basketball Classic from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 10. The location has yet to be determined.

Justus McNair, 19, founder of the nonprofit, will run the clinic.

McNair is a Joliet West High School alumnus and a soon-to-be sophomore at Valparaiso University in Indiana.

He also plays basketball for Roger Powell, head coach of Valparaiso’s men’s basketball team, who attended Joliet Central High School.

The clinic will include giveaways of school supplies, and mental health professionals will be on-site to talk to parents about student-athlete mental health, said Andrea McNair, Justus’ mother.

Justus said his parents, Wayne and Andrea, came up with the idea for the nonprofit in December.

“They made it happen,” Justus said. “I was always thinking of ways to help kids in my area and didn’t know what to do.”

Justus said his parents suggested the basketball clinic, and he suggested the mental health component.

“There’s pressure to become great and play to the highest level,” Justus said. “I’ve been through it, and it can be very hectic.”

Justus said that after he broke his leg freshman year in high school, he felt depressed about not playing and wondered how well his leg might heal.

He wants athletes to reach out when they get stressed and “go into that deep hole,” he said.

Justus said kids need someone “to be in your corner” in order to play stress-free sports, and he wants to help them with their mental health so they can “achieve their dreams.”

“Being from Joliet, it’s somewhat hard to make it out,” Justus said. “And some do take the long routes – gangs, street violence. I just want to help youth stay on the right path.”

For Justus, that right path was basketball. His previous clinic on April 27 attracted 40 youth and children through middle school. He plans to host several a year.

He said his ultimate goal is to open facilities across the U.S. that are part mental health center and part recreational center.

“Kids could come to my gym for free and have it be like safe space for them – and a mental health center as well,” Justus said.

All three of Andrea’s children have played sports, and she said parents sometimes force their athletic expectations onto their children without considering their mental health.

That’s why a mental health specialist talks to parents at the clinic, she said.

“We want them to be the best. We want them to win. We want them to shine. We don’t want them to make mistakes,” Andrea said. “In doing that, we’re not intentional in making sure our children’s mental health is great.”

The purpose of Justus League Hoop Inc. is to empower student-athletes by developing their basketball skills, nurturing their mental wellness and preparing them for success in higher education.

“I just want the community to know we are here to support families and athletes,” Andrea said.

The deadline to donate book bags, pencils and pens, notebooks, colored pencils, index cards and sticky notes is July 25.

To donate and to register for the clinic, call Andrea McNair at 815-272-3736.

For more information, visit Justus League Hoop Inc. on Facebook.