GAME fueled by late teen’s passion

The death of 13-year-old Steven Odom stirred the community when he was fatally shot in October 2007 a few feet from his Dorchester home by a Roxbury gang member. Nearly two years later, the neighborhood is keeping his memory alive through the game he felt most passionate about.

Hundreds of people, along with Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, streamed into the Madison Park High School gym yesterday in his honor for the second annual Steven P. Odom Peace Charity Basketball Game. This year’s theme, Changing the GAME, which stands for giving, affirming, mentoring, and empowering, was aimed at bringing people in Dorchester and Roxbury together and highlighted the neighborhoods’ positive aspects, said Steven’s father, Ronald Odom.

“It is all in the name peace,’’ he said. “We are looking for that better day, we are working toward that day.’’

Three games were played between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a 15-and-under game first, then high school and college players, and, finally, NBA and overseas athletes.

Steven had been two grade levels ahead of Stephanie Soto when he was fatally shot, she said. Soto, who is now 13, did not know him personally, but came to yesterday’s game to play in his memory. The event “is special because everybody who knew him loved him,’’ she said. “He was well known in school.’’

Tyler Ryan, 16, said he lived down the street from Steven, and the two used to play basketball in the neighborhood. Yesterday’s game showed that Steven’s death brought the community together, he said.

“Steven did not like to see people fighting, and he loved to play basketball,’’ said the student at Boston Prep High School.

Steven “sweat, drank, and ate basketball,’’ his father joked. He slept with a basketball. He dribbled it while waiting for the bus, and when it accidentally rolled into the street one day and was squashed flat by a zooming car, “a neighbor said he had had a look on his face as though he had lost his best friend.’’

Passion for the game is what brought him and his brother together, said Brandon Odom. That is why he began coordinating the charity event last year. Now his greatest challenge, he said, is keeping his emotions in check while he is planning for the games.

“When it is all coming together, I realize it is for a great cause,’’ Brandon Odom said. “It brings me back down to think I am doing this for my little brother.’’

Ronald Odom said he hopes to develop the charity game into a two-day event that will include empowerment workshops and competitions with teams from other states.

“It is always a tragedy when a family loses a loved one to violence, but all the community support softens the blow, lightens the load,’’ he said.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

 

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