Courts 2 College helps local athletes find their path to next level

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The modern world of collegiate athletics is challenging to navigate.

In the world of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal, high school athletes have never had a more difficult time finding their next stop on their athletic journey. For the brightest stars, there is still a direct path. But most athletes talented enough to play at the next level are often left with more questions than answers.

That's where Trelle Felder wants to step in.

Felder founded Courts 2 College with a simple goal: help local athletes find the right fit to pursue their degree and athletic career in college. She has five athletes pursuing their dreams at the next level and one athlete who completed two years in junior college and earned two trips to the NJCAA nationals in the process. She's currently aiding five more high school student-athletes on their journeys. Her athletes are primarily basketball players at the moment, but she plans to expand as her resources grow.

One step in that process is connecting student-athletes with college programs, but that's just the start. Felder helps athletes learn the ins and outs of applying for schools, navigating financial aid and so much more.

"We want them to be able to get an athletic scholarship, but we take them on college tours, network with coaches to set up play dates for them to play in front of the coaches and find the right fit," Felder said. "The goal is an athletic scholarship, but I'm a huge advocate for academics, so I encourage my athletes to apply for academic scholarships and maintain a certain GPA, so if they do receive an athletic offer, they can actually get into the institution of their choice.

"At the end of the day, it's about a career. Yes, you're going to college for basketball, but I want to teach them about life after basketball. Figuring out what they want to major in, we do things like mental health workshops. It's a wide range of things."

Most importantly, Felder provides this service for free. She is passionate about the athletic community in Sumter and the surrounding areas and wants to make sure local athletes have the ability to grow on and off the court.

"I played basketball since I was in middle school, and I played all the way through college. Once I started coaching and got to the high school level, I realized - and it's no offense to any high school - but we're doing a disservice to (the student-athletes)," Felder said. "We're not preparing them for the next level and not doing everything possible to get them recruited.

"I wanted to be able to offer this service to student-athletes because it's something we're not doing, and I felt the need for it in the community, especially students who are low income. I try to focus, too, on the hidden gems in the community. You might not be the star player, but that doesn't mean you can't go to college."

Felder wants to be an asset not only to local student-athletes, but their parents, too. Felder helped Crestwood graduate Aaron Coleman navigate this process throughout the spring and summer. His mother, Michell Coleman, was so thankful to have someone walk them through every step.

"When she came into our lives, she was just a Godsend," M. Coleman said. "I'm an old parent, and I've been out of the college game for a minute. I went to college, but Aaron being the last of my kids to graduate, she really helped us contact colleges. If you're not an elite player, it's hard to pick up different colleges. Now he's at Patrick and Henry Community, which is a good fit for him.

"She makes you feel like she's there because she cares."

While Felder has been an asset to families like the Colemans, she doesn't do all of the work for her student-athletes. She simply wants to make sure they have the tools to succeed.

"Most kids lay back and expect people to do things for them, but she was able to give Aaron the push that he needed," M. Coleman said. "She was here for him, but she needed him to do it himself, so it was a learning experience for me as well as Aaron."

Courts 2 College isn't just about finding any school to attend; Felder wants to help student-athletes find the right place to spend the next stage of their lives. She helped A. Coleman find the right fit at Patrick and Henry, where he's currently averaging 16.4 points per game. The freshman hopes that his success will propel him to a four-year program, and he plans to have Felder in his corner when he makes his next move, too.

"Coach Felder is going to be with me until the day I stop playing basketball," he said. "It's big for our community to have people like her, especially people that are struggling to find a good college to go to."

One of Felder's first student-athletes was Lakewood graduate Jaqcorey Melton. After Melton graduated, he wasn't interested in going to college to play basketball. He wanted to play the game but didn't love the idea of going to class every day. Felder helped set him up with a local semi-pro team but always told him she was ready to help if he changed his mind. While traveling to Mexico playing ball, a coach suggested college basketball would open more doors professionally, so he decided to give it a try. Felder connected him with Denmark Tech, and he was ready to roll.

"When I got there, she sent me a care package, and she told me if I ever needed anything to just call her," Melton said. "For the first two weeks, she called me all the time checking on me, making sure I was straight."

Melton was going to redshirt his freshman year. It wasn't ideal, but he still worked hard to compete for time on the court. One day, Melton's roommate, a track athlete, suggested he come out and practice with the track and field team because he wasn't going to play with the basketball team right away. Melton had some experience jumping at Lakewood but only competed in a handful of meets. But he decided to give it a shot and was immediately offered a scholarship. For a while, he tried to compete in both sports, but doubling up on practice quickly wore him down. He committed fully to track and thrived.

In two seasons at Denmark Tech, Melton qualified for the NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships twice and qualified for the indoor championships as a sophomore. As a sophomore, he was the 10th seed in the nation in the high jump, clearing a personal best of 6'7.75". He was only able to actually compete in one of the three national championships he qualified for because of extenuating circumstances but wrapped up his collegiate career with the outdoor championships in May 2024, placing 11th in the high jump by clearing 6'5.5".

"It was a great experience. I wasn't even interested in track, so for me to make nationals, I felt special," Melton said. "I felt like I really accomplished a goal I didn't even set."

Even though he didn't plan to compete in track and field, Melton found where he fit thanks to Courts 2 College. He's thankful someone is looking out for the athletes in Sumter.

"It felt like she was family immediately. She just took me under her wing and didn't ask for anything in return," Melton said. "In Sumter, we don't have that many role models or people who do things out of the kindness of their hearts, so for her to be that and be there, it's important."

Felder is looking for community members who are interested in supporting Courts 2 College either with their time or financially. Interested parties can contact her at coachfelder32@gmail.com.

"One thing that would really help us is sponsorships, partnerships with local businesses. Maybe that can pay for a child's application fee or something small," Felder said. "We're looking for volunteers, teachers, social workers, anyone who would like to help. I have some teachers on board, but I can always use more."


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