Ahead of Monday evening’s basketball games, Tay Fisher checks in on all his players, their families, the jersey and laundry handlers, and the scorekeeper – who is Fisher’s father.

Fisher wants to get everything in its right place. He is all in on the “Tay League,” aka the Ulster County “My Brother’s Keeper League.”

“I relate to these kids in so many ways,” Fisher said at the Andy Murphy Center, where the games are held.

Fisher was a basketball star at Kingston High School and again at Siena College.

After college, Fisher was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters, only to not make the final roster. He returned the following season, seeking a slot, and became a staple for the Globetrotters for 10 years, performing for fans in 75 countries. His nickname was fitting: “Firefly.”

Fisher said as a Globetrotter, he learned discipline and routine at high levels.

Now, just two years removed from his Globetrotters career, Fisher focuses on raising his own family and pushing a new generation of young people in his hometown to do something great.

He said the secret to keeping all 60 players in the league on track is not his decorated basketball resume.

Fisher teamed with the Ulster County Youth Bureau to create the co-ed league as an anti-violence program.

But in Fisher’s view, the players made this happen.

“If they do it all by themselves, then that’s when I can come in. All of these kids, they want it,” he said. “They want to be around me. If that’s the case, let’s do it. Let’s get better together. I’m hoping that over the next several months, this could be a big change for them.”

There has already been a big change for Syed Lewis, 13, from downtown.

“I was out of basketball before I was offered to play in this, so he helped me get back into basketball,” Lewis said. “I lost my motivation. Then when he says I could play in this league, it just hit everything back normal.”

And just like that, Lewis and many others are on their own paths to doing something great, whether that is getting a scholarship, being a better teammate or just being a better person.

“All they need to know: They just need to know that people care about them,” Fisher said. “Once you learn that people care about you, the sky’s the limit. That’s when confidences are grown, and that’s when you’re able to be your best. I’m just happy to be that person they can look up to.”