Some Staten Island basketball courts, previously without a name, will now honor the legacy of a former player and youth coach from the borough. 

On Friday, the mother of Cesar Sanchez Jr. joined members of the community for a dedication ceremony at the General Douglas MacArthur Park. In 2014 Sanchez was just 20-years old when he was shot and killed near his Dongan Hills home. He was known to many as a talented athlete and mentor. 

His mother, Maris Sanchez remembered the times he used to come to the dedication site to play the sport he loved. "He used to come here on a daily basis to play basketball. Basketball was his passion. So in that way it was very important to me. And also because I want to immortalize his name. I want the kids in the future that didn't have the act of meeting him, to know about his stories." 

The parks department has announced plans to reconstruct the very same basketball courts in the coming year.