Pro-Am takes center stage for Flood family

NORFOLK

Several officials of the Hampton Roads 7 Cities Basketball Pro-Am were talking marketing one afternoon when another employee walked into the room.

"Should I be in this meeting?" he asked.

Lorraine Flood, the league manager, laughed then and smiles now telling the story. The questioner was Alvin Eason, her 10-year-old grandson.

To Flood, a retired school administrator, it's an illustration of how her family has bought into the league, which begins its fifth season today at Booker T. Washington High.

"It's become the central piece of family life," she said.

Indeed, the family will be Flooding Booker T., with more than 20 members - children, grandchildren and other relatives - doing everything from wiping the floors to serving concessions.

The assistance has been welcomed by league founder James Flood, son of Lorraine and her husband, James Sr. James Jr. has run the Pro-Am more or less on his own for the past four years.

"I feel as though this is my first year, with my family being involved 100 percent," he said.

The league grew rapidly during its first three years but ran into speed bumps last summer. Flood missed a deadline for getting medical insurance and as a result, wasn't able to attain NCAA certification. That meant Division I players weren't allowed to participate.

Several D-I players competed in the league before the error was discovered, and, as a penalty, the NCAA won't allow Division I players this summer. Other collegians can play, though, as can incoming Division I freshmen and players who have used up their eligibility.

Flood ended play after the regular season last year, canceling the playoffs. He re-organized during the offseason, cutting the number of teams from 14 to 10, adding a board of directors, starting a mentorship program for youth and affiliating with the national Pro-Am in New York.

He also reached out to the community. Among those sponsoring teams this year are State Sen. Yvonne Miller and Norfolk City Councilwoman Daun S. Hester.

"I wanted to take a step back, regroup and do everything the right way," he said.

That includes bringing in his family, particularly the administrative talents and community contacts of his parents. His father, James, is a facility manager at Naval Air Station Oceana. Lorraine Flood, an educator for 40 years, is president of the Middletown Arch at Broad Creek Civic League.

"From order, everything else flows," she said.

That rule applies, whether running a basketball league, a school program, or a large family. Lorraine and her husband have five children ages 27 to 42 and 12 grandchildren, from 6 to 23. All live in the area. Normally, they gather Sunday afternoons for dinner.

This summer, at least through Aug. 9, they'll be gathering weekends at Booker T.

"We'll be eating hot dogs," Lorraine Flood said. "That'll be different for us."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372 ed.miller@pilotonline.com