Poly grads plan charity basketball tournament this weekend

“It’s just a chance to bring the community together,” Carmon said about the event. “It’s a way to help support the community and build awareness through competition.”

In 2014, Patterson founded Ecquo Environmental Solutions after graduating from Long Beach State with a degree in environmental science and policy. Ecquo is derived from a combination of “eco” and “equal,” “eco” representing home and “equal” representing faiess for all.

His long-term vision is to develop a sustainable food system by using fish waste to grow plants organically, a cycle known as aquaponics. He created Ecquo to establish a foundation to reach his goal.

“After I graduated I wanted to demonstrate my leaing in some way,” he said. “We have a tendency to over-consume and our environment has taken a beating because of it so I wrote up a plan.”

In the summer of 2014, Ecquo was just a start-up seeking to raise funds for a proposed “Eco Week” at LBSU, so Patterson got in contact with Carmon to talk about establishing an aual charity basketball touament.

Carmon played basketball at Poly and helped lead the Jackrabbits to a CIF championship in 2011. He then played college ball at Academy of Art before finishing his career at Cal State East Bay. Patterson said Carmon has great basketball coections in the city of Long Beach and is a great communicator, so it was a perfect opportunity to utilize his skill set.

“Alex has been at the heart of everything,” Patterson said. “Whether it was marketing or generating the funding, he spearheaded the operation. The first touament was really the foundation of Ecquo.”

“I was blessed with the opportunity,” Carmon said about putting together the first touament. “I wanted to challenge myself and acquire the resources to put on a resume. I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

Patterson said the first touament gave him the confidence to build Ecquo and follow through with some of his plans. He hosted “Eco Week” at LBSU, which included a fashion show showcasing outfits made from recycled materials. He put together neighborhood cleanup projects by the Mark Twain library and outside of Snorlax’s House of Blend barbershop, where Patterson runs his organization.

Since both Carmon and Patterson were in school last year — Carmon in his final season at CSU East Bay and Patterson in his first year of graduate school at LBSU — the Beach City Green Hoops Touament was postponed due to other commitments. The touament is back on track this summer and is being played in the main gym at Long Beach City College.

This year there will be a six-team, single-elimination, wier-take-all format, with two teams receiving byes in to the second round. Six captains will have an opportunity to draft players that are in the draft pool before the touament starts, and Carmon said it will be a test of the captains’ coaching and general managing skills.

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The touament will include referees, jerseys, a snack bar, a DJ, and a merchandise booth to go along with opportunities to donate to the Ecquo foundation.

“We’re trying to make this thing as big as possible,” Carmon said. “I want it to be an aual touament where the competition gets better each year. I really think this touament can grow and expand into something huge.”

Patterson expects the touament to raise about $1,600 and Ecquo to continue to grow because of it.

“We don’t have access to large funds so we do what we can,” he said. “I’m growing as the organization continues to grow.”

Patterson is expected to finish graduate school in April of next year, when he plans to go full time in his environmental endeavors.

“I’ll be honest, it’s been tough, but having the pressure keeps me consistent,” Patterson said of being a full-time student and leading his organization. “My goal is to help people understand and draw a coection with the environment like I have. This touament is strong in doing that.”

The touament starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday at LBCC and the doors open at 12:30 p.m. To make a donation to Ecquo or contribute to the touament, contact Patterson at [email protected] or Carmon at [email protected].