If you’ve signed up for the 2024 Juneteenth Classic, you’ve already had communications with him. At the tournament itself, you’ll find him manning the registration table; he’s in charge of the city’s funnest, most diverse recurring racquet-sport event. But “tournament director” is just one of many hats worn by Kofi Asare-Konadu.

Kofi is in the upper echelon of Portland-area tennis players. He works full-time as a research assistant at OHSU, and is a professional model on the side. On the side of that, he recently started his own fashion label that’s an expression of his cultural heritage. If this sounds like a description of Portland’s most eligible bachelor, you’d only be wrong about one thing: Kofi won’t be in Portland much longer. Shortly after this year’s Juneteenth Classic, he’s moving to Melbourne, Florida, where he’ll matriculate into the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. That’s right: goodbye Kofi, hello Dr. Asare-Konadu.

Of all these claims to fame, none may be as unique as this: Kofi Asare-Konadu is the living, breathing connective tissue of Kids N’ Tennis. He binds the organization’s past and present to its future. For the kids who participate in Kids N’ Tennis programs, Kofi is the poster child for who they might become as young adults: master practitioners of the game of tennis and the game of life.

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Kofi and his two older sisters Adwoa and Akua (who you might see beside him at the registration table) grew up Ghanian-American in Beaverton, Oregon. After graduating from Beaverton High School in 2014, Kofi attended Seattle University, where he earned a B.S. in Biology. He didn’t play college tennis (“unfortunately,” Kofi adds), but right now he’s playing some of the best tennis of his life. “My game changed dramatically,” he concedes, “when I met Amahal Barbee.” The two have been training together since 2020. Kofi credits Coach Amahal, who he describes as “skilled in player development,” with the significant strides he’s made. Meanwhile, Coach Amahal has joined the coaching staff of Kids N’ Tennis, where he heads up the junior program.

Years before he began playing in open tournaments, Kofi’s talents would’ve been indistinguishable from those of the other summer campers beginning their tennis journeys at Irving Park. “Kids N’ Tennis was the very beginning of my tennis education,” Kofi relates. “We,” by which he means he and his sisters, “were complaining endlessly about the lack of summer activities, and my parents heard about the camp from a friend.” His groundstrokes, footwork, discipline and dedication to mentorship all have Kids N’ Tennis in their DNA. “I've always seen Kids N' Tennis as a community and not just a tennis program,” Kofi elaborates. Upon his return to Portland, after college, Kofi became both a PTR-certified tennis coach and the Vice President of Kids N’ Tennis. His trajectory demonstrates how the goals of Kids N’ Tennis are long-term and generational. Just as Kofi was a promising young camper of yesteryear who now helps run the organization, the future of Kids N’ Tennis lies in those campers who will show up to the free camp in 2024 and beyond, and dedicate themselves to the game.

“I accepted the role of VP because I wanted to give other children the same type of formative experience I had,” Kofi explains. “It's really rewarding to see other children enjoy the experience as I once did. But now I am curating that experience for them.”

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While his qualifications for modeling are self-evident, there’s more of a narrative to Kofi’s clothing line. It’s called INSHRA. That’s a phonetic rendering of Kofi’s middle name, Nhyira, which means “blessing” in Ashanti Twi. INSHRA is all about intersections, translations and fostering cultural exchange. This includes the name. “By using the phonetic spelling,” Kofi elaborates, “I’m staying true to the idea of translating African concepts to an audience abroad. The name also serves as a constant reminder that I'm blessed to be in a position to pursue my dreams.”

Ghanian and West African cultural concepts are just a starting point; Kofi’s fashion sense is influenced by cultures across the globe, including what he’s seen on recent travels to Dubai and Japan. “INSHRA is a reflection of my own life,” he shares. “I am always trying to figure out how to reconcile what it means to be Ghanaian yet American, essentially trying to merge two separate identities. I think a lot of folks can relate to living between two different identities,” he expounds, “be they cultural identities, gender identities, socioeconomic identities or other ones” (INSHRA’s home online is inshra.com; it’s on IG and TikTok @inshra_co; you can find INSHRA on the Flip App simply by searching “INSHRA”).

When asked if his interests in tennis and fashion might intersect directly, Kofi responds in the affirmative: “I would love to eventually do a tennis-fashion crossover project.” He’s made time over the past year to study sewing, and learn more about garment design and manufacturing. He acknowledges that INSHRA won't be the main item on his plate while he’s off at medical school, but he does plan to keep growing his design skills and expanding the brand.

What about adding a fashion show to the events that accompany the annual tournament weekend? “What I love about Kids N' Tennis,” Kofi responds diplomatically, “is that we can set our own agenda, since we are a small organization without much bureaucracy. A fashion show could be a cool idea. Another great idea could be doing more KNT apparel. I would love to create custom clothing that reflects the values KNT espouses,” he adds. “This would perfectly merge my interest with fashion and tennis.” Whether or not a tennis-themed fashion show is on the agenda for 2025, the swift, forward motion of this kind of thinking represents the Asare-Konadu approach: serve, split step, arrive at the net, and volley over a winning shot.

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In the years to come, Kofi would love to see Kid N’ Tennis develop a more robust, elite junior academy, one that can “assist underprivileged talent in reaching the next level.” That would mean expanding the indoor junior program, currently held only on Saturdays, to multiple days per week, he acknowledges. It would also require hiring more great coaches like Amahal Barbee. Kofi’s advice to this year’s Kids N’ Tennis campers, and to all players stepping onto the court for the first time, is to prioritize having fun and “realize that tennis is just a game. It's counterintuitive,” he explains, “but by adopting this mentally you remove the pressure and anxiety associated with results. Then you can focus on becoming the best player you can be.”

Pressed for a connection between tennis and life, Kofi responds without hesitation: “It's all just a game. Life is continuous progression, as is tennis. Best not to take everything too seriously, and enjoy each moment as it comes.”

As he starts medical school in July, keeps developing his clothing line, and continues training and playing in competitive tournaments, you wouldn’t think that Kofi would have much time for personal reflection. But amid the whirlwind transition into life’s next chapter, and the next step in his career, Kofi is well-aware that he’ll be missing the connections he’s made and the community he’s built here in Portland. That community will be on full display at the 2024 Juneteenth Classic. Call it Kofi’s going-away party. Even though, as tournament director, he’s sure to have his hands full.

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Since its first iteration in 2004, the Juneteenth Classic has served up consistent support for non-profit tennis programming

Nearly four decades ago, Don Johnson and Andre St. James saw a glaring disparity in Portland's tennis community: very few children of color were learning to play the game. The duo were determined to do something about it.

Growing up, Johnson and St. James kept busy with a variety of sports—primarily baseball and basketball. “We couldn’t play tennis. We couldn’t afford to play tennis,” Johnson explained. “There was no accessibility to courts, no coaches.” Johnson didn’t learn to play tennis until he was serving in the military in the mid-1970s. He was a quick study. By 1979, he was out of the military, back home in Portland, and not just playing tournaments, but winning them.

Johnson started a long career as an educator at Portland Public Schools in 1983. He also had experience coaching youth sports. But even into the 1980s, opportunities for kids in Northeast Portland to learn tennis were close to nonexistent.

In 1987, Johnson and St. James officially launched Kids N’ Tennis, a free tennis camp for kids at Irving Park.

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“The premise was this: if African-American kids, other kids of color, and kids from low-income families were interested in learning how to play tennis, they could receive quality coaching from a cadre of coaches similar to the coaching and training kids were receiving in private clubs, country clubs, and other tennis facilities. Then those kids—our kids—could be successful and compete for tennis scholarships.” At that time, there weren’t any programs for Johnson and St. James to model theirs on. “So we did the research, we attended some meetings, we got some background,” Johnson described, “and we went for it.”
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After the inaugural camp, many of the participants wished to continue. Bolstered by support from the USTA and community leaders, Kids N’ Tennis acquired its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1992.

Current Kids N’ Tennis President Mike Navarro also works as an educator, at an alternative high school in Gresham. He’s been with the non-profit since meeting Johnson at Irving Park 1999. Navarro believes that what really makes Kids N’ Tennis unique is the sense of inclusion they offer. “We're super culturally responsive to kids and families. We’re mostly coaches of color and we really focus on non-traditional and BIPOC populations where we can leverage our experiences on our kids' behalf.”

In addition to their eight-week summer classes at Irving Park, Kids N’ Tennis offers year-round weekly tennis lessons at Portland Tennis Center, as well as more intensive training during winter break.

While Kids N’ Tennis does produce high-level youth players, to Navarro and Johnson the measure of success is far more broad than a tournament podium; they want to grow the game and all the good that comes with it. “Tennis is one of those sports that, the more you learn about it, the more you learn about yourself and about how you can make decisions in life that will really benefit you.”

Navarro remembers one particular camper whose family had a history of diabetes. “One of my favorite memories was when his mom thanked me and Don for helping him out when he was younger. Now he's in his 30s and tennis has helped him find a lifestyle that has kept him healthy and fit.”

In addition to their summer camps and weekly training programs, the annual tournament that Kids N’ Tennis puts on, the Juneteenth Classic, has grown into one of the biggest and most beloved in the city. The first Juneteenth Classic was in 2004. This year’s tournament is the 11th Juneteenth Classic. Despite some fits and starts in its early days, the Juneteenth Classic has now earned a reputation as ‘the’ Portland tennis tournament for adult recreational players of various levels.

Kasi Muthu won the men’s open division at the tournament in 2021. Even though Muthu has won other, bigger tournaments, his Juneteenth title means just a little bit more to him. “To win a tournament that’s being run by people who look like you, it was incredible,” Muthu reflected. “I felt the love. I really think the reason I won the tournament is because I had coached a lot of those kids who go to Kids N’ Tennis camps, and there was like a karmic energy that elevated me.”

The Juneteenth Classic attracts about as many participants as the adult recreational tournaments at the USTA-run Vancouver Tennis Center across the river in Washington. To Muthu and many others who look forward to the Juneteenth Classic, the tournament is truly unique. Not just because it marks the unofficial start of Portland’s summer tennis season—it’s the environment where the camaraderie, love, and passion of a vital segment of the Portland tennis community is most palpable.

While Kids N’ Tennis continues to serve children who are less likely to have access to the game of tennis, time has brought many changes to the organization’s makeup. After Johnson retired from Portland Public Schools, he moved to Texas and started a sister organization, called Kids N’ Tennis - TEXAS. But he still comes back to Portland for each year’s Juneteenth Classic and for the start of the summer camp.

His friend and fellow Kids N’ Tennis founder, Andre St. James, passed away in 2018. St. James was not only a pillar of the local tennis community; he was a remarkable upright bass player, a cornerstone of Portland’s jazz community. The work that Johnson and St. James did together in the early days of Kids N’ Tennis created the momentum that helps power the organization today.

“We try not to lose sight of who we are and what we’re good at,” Johnson stressed. “We know how to build programs and design pathways and options for kids within the infrastructure of the program.”

For 37 years, Kids N’ Tennis has thrived on collaboration, partnering with numerous community, regional and national entities. These partnerships don’t just promote tennis, they emphasize health, nutrition and education. Kids N’ Tennis has successfully engaged tennis enthusiasts of all ages in mentoring, community service, and fostering a safe, positive environment for youth to build confidence and self-esteem.

To date, more than 2,000 young players have benefited from the organization’s efforts, with many alumni graduating from college, and quite a few of them becoming tennis teaching professionals in the Portland area.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Kids N’ Tennis website (www.kids-n-tennis.org). Your support will help Kids N’ Tennis continue and expand their mission of opportunity and empowerment through tennis.

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Juneteeth Special

Tournament Director Kofi Asare-Konadu: Man of Many Hat

How the Kids N' Tennis Fundraiser Became Portland's Top Tournament