Carmelo Anthony, the Denver Nuggets' star forward and former Towson Catholic standout, is back in Baltimore to head up his favorite cause.
Starting today, he teams with Grammy-nominated R&B artist Mario Barrrett for the "Melo and Mario Face Off Weekend," a series of fundraising events to help underprivileged city kids.
A kickoff celebration will be held at 4 p.m. today at the Carmelo Anthony Center at 1100 E. Fayette St., where hundreds of kids are to receive school supplies.
A celebrity bowling tournament will take place Friday evening at a private location, followed by a 10 p.m. after-party fundraiser at 700 S. Caroline St. that is open to the public. (Tickets are $20.)
The "Face Off Weekend" will wrap up Saturday with a celebrity softball game between Anthony's team and Barrett's team at the Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Jewish Community Center at 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue in Owings Mills. The game is also open to the public. (Tickets are $10.)
Barrett, known professionally as Mario, is a Baltimore native and singer best known for his hit singles "Just a Friend 2002" and "Let Me Love You."
In a brief phone interview, Anthony, a two-time NBA All-Star and the third player chosen in the 2003 draft, said this is the sixth year the Carmelo Anthony Foundation has sponsored fundraising events for underserved Baltimore youth.
"I can see the impact in my community," he said. "I can see the kids are happier, the parents are happier. The parents are letting the kids go outside because they have a place to go at the [Carmelo Anthony Center] and they don't have to be in the streets."
Anthony, 25, said he was looking forward to participating in the bowling and softball events because he has a passion for both sports.
Asked about the recent closing of Towson Catholic, where he starred in basketball and was named The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year in 2001, Anthony was circumspect.
"You never want to see a school close," he said, adding that he didn't want to comment further because he didn't know the details behind the school's decision to close.
