Basketball tournament being held in honor of slain Mount Vernon graduate

The 1st annual Samuel Kwarteng Memorial Scholarship basketball tournament will be held this Saturday and Sunday at Mount Vernon High School.

The tournament is organized by friends of Kwarteng, a 2013 Mount Vernon graduate who was shot and killed in Richmond this past April. Kwarteng, 20, had been on track to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University with an electrical engineering degree later this year. 

Kwarteng’s violent death stunned the Mount Vernon and Richmond Highway communities he grew up in. Known as Sam K., friends remembered the popular Kwarteng as a talented and devoted friend, someone quick with a joke and who enjoyed helping others with their studies. 

Kwaku Diawuo, who attended Mount Vernon and VCU with Kwarteng and considered him a brother, has led the effort to hold the tournament. The a basketball tournament will not heal the wounds caused by Kwarteng’s death, Diawuo said, but he hopes that Kwarteng’s legacy can live on as an inspiration to others.

“The pain is unbearable,” said Diawuo. “[B]ut with that pain, the urge to give back to my community and educate the younger generation on saying no to violence has been sparked more than ever.”

The games begin at 11 a.m. and run through 6 p.m. Twelve teams will be participating in the tournament, and they’ll be divided into four brackets named after Richmond Highway neighborhoods — Pinewood, Janna Lee, Buckman Road and Woodlawn.

Mount Vernon High School and the Mount Vernon High School Boosters are the tournament’s sponsors. All are welcome to attend, with a $2 entrance fee or a donation of school supplies requested. Proceeds from the tournament will go towards a scholarship.

Food and drinks will be available at the school concession stand, and grilled food and Jollof rice will also be sold. 

Mount Vernon High School is located at 8519 Old Mount Vernon Road (see map).