Wilmington basketball tournament returns for its 8th year, raising money for mental health support

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Hundreds of athletes, parents and community members will pack the stands this weekend — not just to watch basketball, but to take part in a larger conversation about mental health.

The eighth-annual SL24 Basketball Classic returns January 30–31 at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington. While the two-day tournament features competitive high school basketball, organizers say the real purpose goes far beyond the championship games. Their goal is to  break the silence around mental health and remind people they are not alone.

The event was created in memory of Sean Locke, a graduate of St. Mark’s High School who went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Delaware. Locke died by suicide in July 2018 after struggling with depression and anxiety.

“Sean, who was just this amazing kid … was dealing with the illness of depression and anxiety,” said Chris Locke, Sean’s father and co-founder of Sean Locke Foundation. “Sean was a son that really was just amazing. He and I were extremely close … but Sean and I never spoke about his mental illness, about his battle with depression and anxiety. He suffered in silence. But really, I don’t know how many years.”

Locke said the loss of his son shocked the community, in part because he appeared to be thriving — academically, athletically and socially. He was a team captain at the University of Delaware, a three-time Academic All-American and someone many people turned to for help.

“He was the last person you would have thought would be struggling,” Locke said.

What began as a one-time memorial tournament quickly grew into something much larger. The first year, more than 3,000 people attended two games, raising more than $200,000. Since then, the event has expanded every year.

“Nearly 9,000 people attended the two-day event. We also stream it out to the country, as well as all the local businesses, and over 10,000 people viewed that livestream and we raised over $670,000 last year,” he said.

All proceeds from the tournament support Sean’s House, a peer-to-peer mental health support center that opened in 2020. The space provides free, 24/7 support for young people navigating depression, anxiety, trauma and other mental health challenges.

Locke emphasized that the majority of funds raised through the tournament are directly reinvested into mental health programming across Delaware.

“Ninety-three percent of every dollar we raise goes to the programming that we offer — whether it’s Sean’s House or the Sean’s Rooms we’ve opened in four different high schools, including St. Mark’s, [Salesianum School], St. Georges and at the Teen Warehouse in the Riverside community,” Locke said. “We’ve also given out more than $50,000 in mental health service scholarships”

Throughout the weekend, organizers intentionally blend basketball with moments of reflection — including halftime conversations and personal stories — to reduce stigma and encourage people to speak openly about mental health.

“The idea is to have fun, to enjoy good basketball games — and they’re great basketball games — but to also have those conversations to remove that stigma about mental illness. We do that in a couple ways. One, we do halftime presentations both on Friday and Saturday nights,” he said. “But it’s those conversations you have in the corner of the gym or you have on the steps to the concession stand. And just people just speak about their own personal journey or their journey with their children.”

Locke said one of the most important messages of the tournament is directed at parents and caregivers, particularly those with student-athletes.

“You can’t fix the problem. As moms and dads, we think we can fix all our children’s problems,” he said. “What you can do is listen, be nonjudgmental … Really listen to what’s going on in their life and then being supportive, find resources.”

The SL24 Basketball Classic will take place Jan. 30–31 at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware.