North Carolina A&T sisters look to spread love of basketball — and lessons — to youth

Moriah’s and Aliyah Terry’s basketball careers could’ve ended when they graduated from Olympic High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, where each played on the varsity basketball team, and enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University. However, their love for the sport prevailed. They wanted to stay connected to basketball, even if they were not the ones lacing up their shoes.

In 2022, the sisters founded TheBamGrp, a company designed to inspire youth by creating basketball-related programs to develop leadership skills and provide professional opportunities. Since then, the sisters have launched the first Queen City All-Star Game for high school athletes in Charlotte, hosted a basketball summer camp sponsored by Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams and inducted two cohorts of interns to assist with events.

The next event for TheBamGrp is its annual Winter Classic showcase, a two-day basketball tournament that features high school basketball teams from Virginia, New York and North Carolina. This year’s tournament will take place Thursday and Friday at Olympic High School. 

“We’re excited for this tournament to kick off,” said Aliyah Terry, who is a third-year computer engineering student North Carolina A&T. Her sister graduated from North Carolina A&T in the spring of 2021.

“So much work really goes into pulling all of this together. We have to hire referees, make sure we have enough teams, and overall just make sure everything runs smoothly. It’s hard work, but it always pays off.”

TheBamGrp interns conduct player interviews, create social media posts and work in photography. They say the Terry sisters provide opportunities to gain experience in sports and entertainment.

“Getting a sports internship can be hard, so I’m thankful I have the chance to be a BamGrp intern,” Mekhi Young said. “I’ve learned how to navigate a sports event, which is a lot more than I initially thought.”

Interns also say they appreciate how much TheBamGrp feels like a family and not always work. There is an emphasis on connecting beyond basketball, which doesn’t go unnoticed.

“It’s more than hoops – it’s about heart,” intern Yangelis Martinez said. “Our game goes beyond the court. We embrace each player’s journey with joy and understanding.”

Basketball has been a part of the sisters’ lives for as long as they can remember. They recall watching their father, Baronton Terry, pace up and down the sideline when he coached at West Charlotte High School as their mother, Makeda Terry, cheered the team on from the bleachers.

“I’ve been a basketball coach most of my life, so my girls have always been around the sport,” said Baronton Terry, now associate head men’s basketball coach at Chicago State University. “I’m happy they’re building their own legacy through basketball. I’m their father, so they know they’ll always have my support.”

The journey from making the shots to calling the shots was not easy, but the Terry sisters believed that with their background in basketball and entrepreneurial mindsets, anything was achievable.

“The idea of branching out and creating your own business is a little scary,” Moriah Terry said. “But at the end of the day, when you’re passionate about something, you find a way to have it in your life. I knew my playing days for basketball were over, but there was no way I wasn’t going to be involved with this sport in some shape or form.”

Over the next one to two years, the sisters hope TheBamGrp can break into collegiate sports, focusing on historically Black colleges and universities. One of their ultimate goals is to host an HBCU basketball tournament in Atlanta by 2024 to showcase Black colleges’ talent on a bigger stage and in a marketable area.

“We feel like our education at North Carolina A&T has helped us get to where we are today, so of course we’d want to showcase HBCUs,” Aliyah Terry said. “It’s important to give back to the institutions that served you, and that’s exactly what we plan to do.”