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Prince George's County youth filled the floorboards and their brains Saturday at the 18th annual Hoops for Peace Anti-Violence Youth Summit in Seat Pleasant.

The event, held at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, was a partnership between the Community Kinship Coalition Inc., a nonprofit centered on community outreach, and NBA player Kevin Durant, who frequented the center as a teenager. Today Durant plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

George Hodge and Brian Shivers, who both grew up in Seat Pleasant, created the Seat Pleasant-based Community Kinship Coalition, Inc., as a way to give back to their community.

The event was a mix of 3-on-3 basketball and workshops on conflict resolution, HIV and AIDS, drug abuse and nutrition. More than 150 youth participated.

Hodge said the youth summit was born out of a vision to reduce crime, which he said was prevalent in Seat Pleasant in the late 1980s and 1990s. His cousin Scott Briscoe was killed in a drive-by shooting in Capitol Heights in 1993, and a nephew, Marlon Norris, was shot and killed in Landover in 1994.

"If [Brian and I] made it out of this community they could too, and we've been trying to give back ever since," Hodge said.

Durant, 20, said he spent hours at the center and participated in Hoops for Peace since he was 11. He said the event was not just about basketball but what he wanted to do with his life afterward.

"This is also just the time for us to be a family and get closer," Durant said.

Seat Pleasant native Charlie Bell, who played for Loyola College in Maryland from 2002 to 2006, said the center was a refuge for him and his friends. Bell, 26, is now an assistant to Durant in Oklahoma City.

"It's a rough neighborhood, but we basically lived in the gym from morning to closing time," Bell said. "This rec was like a home to us. Everyone knew where to find us."

The Hoops for Peace event unites children from Glenarden, Columbia Park and Palmer Park and breaks down the communication barriers that may lead to feuds between different communities, Bell said.

"Nowadays you get neighborhood violence between different neighborhoods," Bell said. "Hoops for Peace gives kids a chance from every neighborhood to bond."

Bowie resident Sharon McKinney, a nurse practitioner, led the workshop on HIV and AIDS prevention. McKinney stressed how important it is for the black community to stop the spread of AIDS with responsible behavior. McKinney praised the program, but said she wished she had more time with each rotating group as each workshop facilitator had 20 minutes to make presentations.

"If we only reach 10 percent it's worth it," McKinney said.

Nickia Gibbs, 17, of Seat Pleasant said this is her first year participating in Hoops for Peace despite working at the center. Gibbs, who hopes to play basketball in college, she enjoyed the feeling of community and the emphasis on teamwork, dedication and commitment in the workshops.

Brian Shivers' son, Ahsanté Shivers, 11, of Seat Pleasant, said this is his fifth year participating and this year served as a reminder to be just as focused on schoolwork as he is on improving his basketball game.

"I think it's very important because it's mostly males out here in gang violence, so if we have a lot of male mentors we can keep them off the streets," Ahsanté Shivers said.