Merced Founder Builds Youth Basketball Program From a Personal Promise

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From Driveways to the DDBL: How One Founder Created Year-Round Youth Basketball in Merced

Merced, United States – May 8, 2026 / Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports LLC / Cen Cal Drive Youth Foundation /

Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports, the Merced-based youth basketball organization founded by Greg Williams Jr., has officially launched its year-round programming calendar for 2025, expanding access to structured basketball development for players across the Central Valley through the DDBL league, travel teams, and an extended camp and coaching schedule.

A Personal Promise That Started on Driveways

Greg Williams Jr. did not set out to build an organization. He made a promise. Growing up in Merced, CA, Williams saw firsthand how limited access to structured, affordable youth sports could quietly redirect a young person’s trajectory. When he founded Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports in 2022, the name was deliberate – “Cen Cal” for the Central Valley community he grew up in, and “Drive” for the relentless effort he believed every young player deserved the chance to develop.

What began with pickup games on neighborhood driveways and local courts has grown into a multi-program organization serving youth basketball Merced CA families across age groups and skill levels. The program operates year-round, a structure Williams built intentionally so that development would not stop when a season ended.

The DDBL and a Full Roster of Development Programs

The centerpiece of Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports is the DDBL (Drive Development Basketball League), an in-house competitive league that gives players regular game experience in a structured environment. The DDBL runs alongside a broader set of offerings that includes Skills and Drills training sessions, competitive travel teams, private coaching, seasonal camps, and dedicated girls’ programs.

The Skills and Drills format targets the fundamental mechanics that Williams identified as the biggest gap in youth development – footwork, ball-handling, shooting form, and court awareness. Private coaching sessions extend that work on an individual basis, allowing players at different levels to progress at their own pace.

The girls’ programs represent a specific priority for the organization. Williams built them as a parallel track to the boys’ programming rather than an afterthought, with the same access to travel competition, skills training, and coaching.

“We are announcing over 12 structured program offerings for 2025, including expanded camp dates and new travel team divisions,” said Greg Williams Jr., Founder of Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports. “When I started this in 2022, I promised the community that every kid who wanted to play would have a real path forward, and that is exactly what we are building.”

Accessibility Built Into the Model

One of the practical challenges Williams faced early was cost. Youth sports in general carry financial barriers that keep capable athletes on the sidelines, and Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports addresses this directly through grassroots fundraising efforts tied to specific programs. Rather than passing the full cost of travel and equipment to families, the organization builds fundraising into its operational model so that participation remains within reach for households across income levels.

This approach has shaped how the program is perceived in the community. Youth sports Merced families have responded to the combination of competitive development and practical accessibility – a combination that is less common than it might appear in youth athletics.

Character Development as a Core Metric

Williams has been consistent in stating that wins and losses are secondary measures. The program evaluates itself on how players carry themselves on and off the court – in school, in their households, and in how they treat opponents. That framework is embedded in the coaching language, the team culture, and the expectations set from the first day a player joins any Cen Cal Drive program.

The year-round calendar reinforces this. When players are in a program for 12 months rather than a single season, coaches have the time and context to build genuine relationships and hold players to consistent standards rather than simply preparing for a tournament.

With the 2025 calendar now confirmed and registration open across program tiers, Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports is positioned to serve more youth basketball Merced CA athletes than in any previous year since the organization’s founding.

About Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports

Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports is a youth basketball organization based in Merced, CA, founded in 2022 by Greg Williams Jr. The organization operates the DDBL league, travel teams, Skills and Drills training, private coaching, camps, and girls’ programs. Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports is built on year-round programming, character development, and a grassroots fundraising model designed to keep participation accessible for all families in the Central Valley.

Learn more at Cen Cal Drive Youth Sports