Whitesboro Man Seeks Youth Opportunities Through Basketball

Vern Fitzpatrick’s opportunities growing up in Whitesboro were restricted by his commitment to helping raise his three brothers and a sister. Beyond midget football, his young years were hastily transitioned to adulthood by making sure his younger siblings were clean, fed, and at the bus stop on time.
The 41-year-old began cutting his own hair 28 summers ago and turned that natural skill into a profession. Today he runs J & E Beauty Supply and Barber Shop on Pacific Avenue in Wildwood.
“I began cutting my own hair at 13 years old,” said Fitzpatrick. “Once I was able to leave the house without taking my siblings along everywhere, I found that I had cousins I never knew I had and guys in the community that I never hung out with. They all began asking me to cut their hair and that was the tip of the iceberg of how my barber skills started growing.”
Fitzpatrick is proud of his more than 100 regular customers and the fact that he can cut their hair with virtually no communication necessary. “I can do their cuts without them opening their mouths when they sit in the chair,” he noted. “Unless they decide to change the style of their cut, which some do.”
The conversation at J & E is often sports-laden, with basketball and football prominent on the dialogue menu.
Fitzpatrick knows the youth in his Middle Township community are hungry for opportunities to succeed in life so he figured a basketball tournament could be the tip of their respective icebergs. He believes that such an event could lead to AAU participation and college possibilities for children who might otherwise never get the opportunity.
“I came up with the idea when I was standing outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Center one Sunday,” he said. “My daughter was on the playground and I was watching my son and his peers playing basketball for nothing. They weren’t playing to their full potential, they were just playing around. I thought to myself and then I mentioned it my son, Vern Jr., that having a mini tournament might really get these young guys to play hard.”
Fitzpatrick said he noticed “young ladies standing around” watching the boys play “as if they anticipated some basketball action.” He said that moment convinced him to pursue his vision.
The upstart tournament was contested June 22 at the MLK Center in Whitesboro. Fitzpatrick had hoped to organize it into categories of younger competitors, those aged 15 to 20 years, taking on older players, those 21 to 30. Despite many telephone calls indicating interest, the proposed six-man teams didn’t materialize in the pre-registration process he had hoped for.
“A lot of guys were saying they were just going to show up so what else could I do,” he said a day before the event tipped off. “I’m just going to see who shows up and put them in the book. It’ll be 15 to 30 in age range and we might even get to the point where there’s a balance in age.”
This mini tournament is about opportunity so Fitzpatrick charged no entry fee. Winners were determined by the first squad to reach 11 points. The teams advanced simply by winning. Fitzpatrick was clear about one important aspect: any fighting would result in immediate disqualification.
Fitzpatrick and spouse, Crystal Shelton-Fitzpatrick, have two sons in 20-year-old Michael Bailey and 16-year-old Vern Jr. Their daughter is 9-year-old Anaya Fitzpatrick. Family is important, especially after all that Fitzpatrick experienced as an adolescent.
“I never played organized basketball other than street ball,” Fitzpatrick said. “My son plays for Middle Township High School.”
Fitzpatrick said the goal of the tournament was to generate interest in a future AAU team “in the core of Whitesboro.” He’s proud of his community and sees its remarkable potential. It upsets him to contemplate how others view the town.
“People act like it’s the worst place to live but it isn’t,” he said. “Like many small communities there’s always some unwanted things going on. Nevertheless, Whitesboro has some very talented youth that don’t allow their potential to flourish due to the lack of opportunities in the area. Our 15 to 20-year-olds are stuck because they are used to not having anything so they don’t look forward to anything. The vision of opportunity is not real to them.”
After a beautiful Sunday dawned, five teams of seven men each showed up in the early afternoon which allowed Fitzpatrick to double the amount of games. Team D from Camden County earned the top prize of $450.
Fitzpatrick said he hopes to work with Tim Johnson and Robert Mathews of the MLK Center to make the tournament an annual event.
“I’ve learned that improvising and conforming are necessary tools to understand and use in doing anything, especially business,” he said. “I thank the community of Whitesboro for backing all of the positive things that we’re trying to do in giving back.”
Fitzpatrick expressed special thanks to Chris Hines-Brown of “Top Floor Entertainment NJ,” Christopher Illa of “A Diamond in the Rough Auto Detailing” at Burke Motor Group and Illa’s brother, William, who made a financial contribution to the event.
The officials were Maurice Howe and Jamell “Shaq” Smith.
“My role in this tournament was directing it,” said Fitzpatrick. “I wanted to make sure there was structure. The satisfaction I get is just giving back to the community as I have been striving to do since I’ve made changes in my life— rather than just excuses.”