On Saturday, Beardsley Gym at Evanston High School was filled with basketball players, cheering fans and the sounds of people enjoying the game. They came together to honor the memory of their friend Ryan Bost.
A 2019 graduate of Evanston Township High School, Bost was well known in the Evanston community and beyond as not only a basketball star but a leader on and off the court who put others before himself. His life was cut short at the age of 20, when he was fatally shot Nov. 9, 2020, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.
Saturday’s charity basketball game was organized by Jamal Graham, a friend of the Bost family. He recruited basketball players from across the country. Most of the 28 players were stars at Evanston Township High School, but a few grew up and played in Evanston before attending other high schools. Many are now playing in colleges or junior colleges.
Hundreds of spectators filled the gym, buying tickets to help support Camp Kuumba, a free three-week summer mentorship program for Black elementary-aged boys and youth, and the Warren Cherry Scholarship Fund, which helps ETHS graduates to become teachers, coaches and mentors.
It was the first Legends game. But both Shawanda and Bobby Bost, parents of Ryan Bost, expressed hopes that the game will become an annual event.
