Meet The Directors.
Darren Duncan
a Long Island, New York native and Merrimack College Hall of Famer, has lived a life shaped by basketball. A three-time NCAA All-American with a degree in psychology, Darren’s professional career took him across eight countries, where he not only excelled on the court but also nurtured a passion for giving back. This passion led him to create Gold Level Sporting Events, a nonprofit dedicated to providing the next generation of athletes with the same opportunities that shaped his life.
Darren’s extensive experience, both on and off the court, fuels his commitment to the "Between the Lines" program, where he leverages his expertise in sports, mentorship, and psychology to help incarcerated individuals. Through sports, Darren aims to reduce recidivism by fostering teamwork, resilience, and personal growth, while also giving participants a platform to share their stories. His belief in the unifying power of basketball drives the program’s mission to change lives and perspectives, both inside and outside the prison walls.
Lamont "Tory" Stapleton
Tory, hailing from Rahway, New Jersey, is a beloved community builder, a multi-dimensional creative and a well-connected lifestyle entrepreneur. He’s a Gill St. Bernard’s High School Hall of Famer who helped build the school's basketball program into a powerhouse. After a postgraduate year at St. Thomas More, under Hall of Fame coach Jere Quinn, Tory overcame a career-threatening basketball injury to excel at Southern New Hampshire University, where he earned a degree in Digital Media and led his team in scoring and rebounding.
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After college, he moved to Los Angeles armed with a genuine love for people and a passion for helping others that was instilled in him from an early age. He’s founded several initiatives which take aim at societal issues and prides himself in creating safe spaces for individuals to be themselves. This work led him to volunteering inside a prison nearly 10 years ago and ultimately to founding Between The Lines. Utilizing his unique ability to connect with people, a knowledge of sports and their unifying power, his ability to tell stories and a commitment to humanizing individuals regardless of their pasts, he aims to fulfill the mission of Between The Lines, which is to positively impact lives, to remind our brothers and sisters that they’re loved, to reduce recidivism and to help build safer and stronger communities.