Driven by a personal tragedy and a vow to help combat violence in society, Nigel Harvey founded a basketball league with a mission that went beyond the court.

Harvey is the founder and commissioner of Cream Skills Inc., one of the city’s largest summer basketball leagues, also known as the Cream Skills Basketball Association.

The league is back for its eighth season with a new home: the Downtown campus of Milwaukee Area Technical College. Its primary goal is to help Milwaukee’s youth develop entrepreneurial skills through sports, while also teaching them life skills, among other things.

Harvey founded the league in 2016 with a vision to promote excellence and create a sense of community in basketball following the tragic violent death of his best friend.

“What motivated me was my best friend being killed in 2008 right after I was playing basketball with some neighborhood kids, and that really touched my heart,” Harvey said. “It really made me look for solutions. I was tired of the same situation, the same scenario — Black violence on Black people — and it affected me.”

At his friend’s funeral, Harvey promised his friend’s mother that he would do something positive for the community.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen. And then, eight years later, the idea got into rotation and Cream Skills was born,” Harvey said.

Cream Skills partners with Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to offer a weekly training program to help young people develop off the field, according to its website.

In addition to basketball, the 11-week mixed league also teaches young people financial literacy, health, fitness and other skills; the main goal is to teach them how to run their own businesses.

Harvey explained why the partnership with MATC was an important factor for his league.

“I chose MATC because of the academic aspect and because I wanted my league to offer more than just basketball,” Harvey said. “I thought education was the best option, and why not my alma mater?”

Armen Hadjinian, Cream Skills’ lead entrepreneurship instructor, emphasized the importance of networking and increasing opportunities for young athletes through MATC’s Milwaukee campus.

His mission is to teach students the importance of college and life skills beyond the basketball court.

“I think the great thing about this is that students are exposed to the university and its many majors,” said Hadjinian, coordinator and instructor of MATC’s entrepreneurship program.

Dwayne Gray, a high school senior who plays on the Cream Skills team, said participating in the program helped him understand the meaning of unity and what it takes to be a cohesive and supportive team member.

“They found me a place to practice and that helped me with my character during the training sessions. It helped me focus on my team and not get demoralized, I always remembered these are my brothers,” Gray said.

MATC’s Cream Skills students study approximately 180 majors, whether academic or vocational, helping students better prepare for college, Hadjinian said.

“There are a lot of options here, and I believe it’s important for them to at least walk into the building and familiarize themselves with it because when they graduate, they’ll already have that orientation,” he said.

Hadjinian also underlined the features that make them different from other basketball leagues.

“The big difference is that we focus on both life skills and academic success, whereas other leagues focus solely on winning,” he said.

Hadjinian noted that the league is free to players in the Milwaukee area.

“The players are not charged for anything. That’s pretty unique,” ​​Hadjinian said.

He said that without community support, Cream Skills would not be able to provide free programs to young people.

“The other thing is the support of local businesses, including a lot of black-owned businesses, that help pay for the uniforms and other expenses,” Hadjinian said.

To learn more about Cream Skills, you can check out their website here.