American Notes NEW YORK CITY

For many ghetto kids, gaining self-esteem as a basketball player has been one way to escape the snare of drugs. But New York City police say that may no longer be a local option. The reason: drug lords are recruiting promising neighborhood players, offering them such inducements as cash and $80 sneakers to play in sandlot tournaments on which the dealers place big bets.

The extent of the playground takeover was dramatized recently when Gregory Vaughn, 33, a high school coach and former Queens College star, was asked to referee a neighborhood game. Vaughn, who had helped many youngsters develop their court skills as an incentive to go to college, made some calls that angered the gamblers. He was followed off the playground and fatally beaten by a known thug. The stakes in the contest were estimated at $50,000.