The annual Dallas Mustangs Invitational Basketball tournament takes place every spring and it’s forever anyone’s guess how many future stars end up being born there. Hopeful boys of all ages, that have been practicing for months preparing for this once a year AAU event, are always eager for their time to shine on the courts in Dallas.

Since it’s inception in 1996, the mission of the Dallas Mustangs has remained constant; to provide an exceptional environment for boys aspiring to further their basketball careers. The Mustangs have a variety of teams made up of a multitude of ages. Founder and Executive Director, Tony Johnson, hopes through his organization, to instill fundamental interaction skills into the lives of his multicultural participants. Any time he’s interviewed, he makes reference to his team players as, “My boys.” They’re like his own kids.

One (lucky) boy happened to stumbled upon the Mustangs one day, but there was one problem. He didn’t seem to take the sport too seriously, that is, until Tony Johnson introduced himself and turned him into a believer. That boy was Sean Williams who’s since gone onto the New Jersey Nets. After Johnson worked with him, Sean Williams has taken basketball very seriously, working hard at his craft while always keeping new goals in his head.

Registration for this particular Invitational usually closes a few weeks prior to first practice, but there are always several events on the roster. To learn more about this innovative program that encourages youth to improve their quality of life through the medium of basketball, a visit to the Dallas Mustangs’ website is well worth it.

If you happen to see a group of young boys dribbling basketballs through downtown Dallas and they look too young to be Mavericks, wish them well. They may just be practicing while on their way to play in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.