Death of basketball coach Gene Lett leaves a void in West Philly community

Gene Lett was a lot of things: a basketball coach, a student, a community organizer and mentor. But above all, Lett was a father — not just to his own 11 children, but to the hundreds of kids in his West Philadelphia neighborhood to whom he committed his life’s work.

Lett died suddenly while playing a game of basketball in November, at the recreation center he frequented throughout his childhood and spent his adulthood maintaining: Christy Rec Center in Cobbs Creek. The void he left behind has since been widely felt in the community, and those who knew and loved him have been working to pick up the work where he left off and to keep his legacy alive.

Lett’s safe haven growing up was the Christy Rec Center. It was where he could go to escape the negative in his life, in his community, and just play basketball with his friends.

So when Lett saw the safety of the recreation center evaporate as he got older, with shootings and violence happening at the center or within its vicinity, he said enough is enough.

“He was like, we got to get the recreation center back, get our neighborhood back so our kids can come to the recreation center, so we can play ball, so they can get some life skills,” said Adrian Burke, one of Lett’s childhood friends and the basketball coach at West Philadelphia High School.

Lett became the advisory council president of the recreation center, and went full force into turning the building back into the safe haven he had growing up.

“He was like, we got to get the recreation center back, get our neighborhood back so our kids can come to the recreation center.”

He got elected officials involved and invited them to the recreation center, showing them the changes he wanted to make. He would feed kids in the neighborhood, work out with the kids two or three times a week with skills and drills, locked the gates at 11 p.m. and opened them back up early in the morning for the youngsters to come back, and would go to the “toughest kids in the neighborhood” to tell them, “We’re not doing that,” Burke said.

“In six months time, there was no violence going on at 56th and Christian,” Burke said. “Kids were out there playing, the swimming pool was open, everything was getting done. He had a vision, and his vision was just to make this a safe haven.”

It was Lett’s consistent presence that also made the rec center a safe haven for the kids, though. He provided a sense of stability and reliability for kids who didn’t have that in their home lives. He was relatable to the kids. He believed in the kids, and pushed them to see the best in themselves. And when they acted up, Lett would hold them accountable. The constant was that Lett was always there.

“I was a troubled kid when I was younger. But the moment I started getting closer with him, I started playing on his basketball teams, next thing it wasn’t even just about basketball,” said Bryant Leach, who was coached by Lett as a kid and in college, and is now dean of students at Boys’ Latin Charter School.

“He was one of the few role models I had in my life when I was a kid.”

Leach was drawn to Lett like a magnet, always wanting to be around him because he was just fun to hang out with. Lett exposed Leach and his peers to the world outside his neighborhood to show him the possibilities at his fingertips, introduced him to NBA players, or would just pick him up to go for a ride, talk and have fun.

And if Leach or the other boys did something wrong, the consequence felt brutal: not being able to do things with Lett.

“He was one of the few role models I had in my life when I was a kid,” Leach said. “Now the goal is, man, I gotta get myself together. He held us accountable. He took care of us in ways where a lot of these young kids just don’t see anymore.”

With a largely absent father, and a mother struggling with substance abuse, Lett didn’t have role models at home when he was growing up in Cobbs Creek. But he did find role models in other adults in his community, who got his attention and taught him that life is bigger than basketball — and that basketball can help him succeed.

“He understood it was two ways: I can go on the streets, or I can get an education and play basketball and do something with my life,” said Eugene Lett Jr., Lett’s eldest son. “He had mentors, but it was really up to him to decide what he wanted to do.”

Lett graduated from high school and went on to play and study at Lincoln University before transferring and graduating from Cheyney University (Lett was dedicated to HBCUs). Obtaining his bachelor’s degree unlocked his hunger for learning, and he ended up going back to Lincoln for his master’s degree 20 years later, alongside his son Eugene.

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That’s when he had the idea to start a program called Degree Chasing. It began as a clothing line, then morphed into motivational speaking engagements at schools and juvenile detention centers in the community. Then, he combined it with his basketball coaching at the rec center, starting a mentorship program that brought in guest speakers to talk to the kids and tutor those struggling with school.

“Before we do anything when it comes to athletics, we listen to the guest speaker,” Eugene said. “They equip the kids with tools to be successful in society, especially growing up in the inner city.”

What Lett always preached was that there was more to life than just basketball — but he used basketball to get the kids’ attention, encouraging them to read, write and pursue higher education.

“He gave them that hope they had deep inside, but he just poured it out and made them bring it out in themselves,” Burke said. “He let them know that you can be anything you want to be. You just got to put your mind to it.”

Sometimes, it’s hard for people to believe that Lett is really gone. His presence was so widely felt in the community, was so constant, that it feels as if any day now he could walk back through those doors and light up the room with his personality.

But Lett’s absence has been deeply and heartbreakingly felt in the community. After his death, the Lincoln and Cheyney University men’s basketball teams paid tribute to him as the rival teams faced each other in a game, all wearing matching T-shirts with a picture of Lett on the front and “Rest in Peace” written on the back. Jason Armstrong, the Lincoln coach, had Lett’s son Nas start the game in honor of his father.

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In December, City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier proposed a resolution to rename the 5500 block of Christian Street “Gene Lett Way” to pay tribute to his wide-reaching influence. And last weekend, a two-day memorial was held for Lett at Christy Rec Center, filled with basketball games for kids and adults.

Lett created a critical blueprint for bettering the neighborhood and improving the lives of the children in it. Now, community members are left to carry forward that blueprint and keep his legacy alive.

“We did lose somebody huge in the community, and my biggest fear now is for [the kids] to not have that person in their corner,” said Eugene. “I’m trying to fill his shoes and be there with the kids.”