The Knicks now have something else extra special to celebrate.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s first hoops-themed school \u2014 a Bronx charter named after one of the NBA team\u2019s all-time greats<\/a> \u2014 saw all 97 students in its second graduating class accepted into college in June and is set to open sparkling new digs this fall.<\/p>\n \u201cThe school went crazy for the Knicks this year,\u201d said Dan Klores, a Peabody Award-winning producer and playwright who founded the school, the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter.<\/p>\n Students hard at work in a biology class at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School in The Bronx on Sept. 26, 2025. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post<\/p>\n \u201cBut here\u2019s what parents want to know: 100% of the kids are getting into college. That\u2019s the bottom line,\u201d Klores said.<\/p>\n He added that current star point guard and Brooklyn native Jose Alvarado <\/a>will be one of three Knicks from this year\u2019s championship group attending the new school\u2019s ceremony Oct. 15.<\/p>\n He did not divulge the other two Knicks who will be attending but said three players from its 1973 championship team \u2014 school namesake Earl \u201cThe Pearl\u201d Monroe, Walt \u201cClyde\u201d Frazier <\/a>and Bill Bradley <\/a>\u2014 will also be on hand, along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be like Elvis [Presley], [Bruce] Springsteen and The Beatles together,\u201d Klores quipped of the appearing lineup.<\/p>\n The school has been moved from 1617 Parkview Ave. to a new five-story building at 647 Elton Ave. in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.<\/p>\n The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School\u2019s building on 1617 Parkview Ave. The school will be moving to a new location in Mott Haven this year. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post<\/p>\n The school focuses not just on athletics but the business surrounding professional basketball \u2014 ranging from broadcast journalism, business, arena entertainment, sports apparel, nutrition, physical therapy, psychology, print and digital media, the law and marketing.<\/p>\n Students get hands-on experience in many fields, not just sports, and honor students get to study abroad.<\/p>\n The new 69,000-square-foot building will house a broadcast studio with podcast and editing rooms. Sportscasters Marv Albert and Mike Greenberg serve on the school\u2019s advisory board.<\/p>\n New York Knicks legend Earl \u201cThe Pearl\u201d Monroe with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on June 2, 2026. John Roca for NY Post<\/p>\n Monroe in action for the Knicks during game 5 of the 1973 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. AP<\/p>\n Students will also benefit from dance and music studios, an 800-foot garden on the third floor and a huge gymnasium.<\/p>\n The school wants parents to enjoy the new facility as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re opening the school on the weekends to provide free child care for mothers thanks to philanthropic dollars,\u201d Klores said.<\/p>\n The charter school helps students explore career paths surrounding professional basketball \u2014 such as broadcast journalism and kinesiology. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post<\/p>\n The demand for the school is off the charts: 900 applicants for 130 seats for the upcoming ninth-grade class.<\/p>\n Ninety-four percent of its students are black and Latino, and most are economically disadvantaged and from single-parent households.<\/p>\n Many of the students enter the Monroe school years behind in reading.<\/p>\n The school employs seven full-time literacy coaches in addition to the teaching staff to help students catch up.<\/p>\n Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School students participate in the charter\u2019s 5th Annual Knicks Day on July 18, 2026. Instagram\/Juniorknicks<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to learn to read and write. Literacy is critical,\u201d Klores said.<\/p>\n Students aren\u2019t forgotten after graduation, either. Teachers are assigned as mentors to see how they are doing the year after moving on.<\/p>\n Physical and mental wellness are important, too. Monroe has a full-time psychologist, pediatrician, nutritionist and reps from legal aid and Planned Parenthood as well.<\/p>\n Knicks point guard Jose Alvarado will be attending the opening ceremony for the new building. Getty Images<\/p>\n Knicks great Walt Frazier will also help open the new building in October. Charles Wenzelberg \/ NY Post<\/p>\n The school also offers a \u201cleap year\u201d if graduating students want to stay for a fifth year while they decide on their profession or next step in life.<\/p>\n Six graduates have chosen to do so this year, up from three last year.<\/p>\n Students in the Leap program go to Monroe three hours a day and then to their full-time jobs<\/p>\n Students participating in a journalism class at the Bronx charter school on Sept. 26, 2026. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post<\/p>\n School graduates have been accepted at dozens of colleges, including Howard University, the University of Rochester, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, Hampton University, Fordham University, CUNY Baruch, Hunter and City College, Clark Atlanta University, Tuskegee University, Coppin State University, University of Connecticut, Fairfield University, Norfolk State University, Morgan State University, Pratt Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology and Savannah College of Art & Design.<\/p>\n Though all students were accepted to colleges, not all of them attend.<\/p>\n Some graduates want to start their careers right away, and some joined the military.<\/p>\n \u201cCollege is not the only mark of success,\u201d Klores noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Knicks now have something else extra special to celebrate. 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