COLUMBUS, Ohio — A central Ohio man wanted to bring the spotlight to the athletic achievements to players in the area, but years later, he decided to impact them on a deeper level.

“My goal in basketball was to create the type of experience that ESPN, 24/7 was giving those four- or five-star guys, like DeAngelo [Russell] and Devin Booker, to kids in Columbus,” said Zach Fleer. 

Fleer showcased the talents of student-athletes, like Columbus Africentric High School star Dailyn Swain, for more than a decade. 

His passion led to the co-founding of the online platform 270 Hoops in 2015.  

But in 2020, after starting his own faith journey, he went above and beyond the call of duty, starting 270 Faith, with a mission of providing support for youth in underserved athletic programs across Columbus. 

“270 Faith is a byproduct of my growing faith, and I wanted to create a nonprofit where, honestly, the mission of it, I want to be a fundraising machine, to give first treatment to those considered last, the people that live in neighborhoods like Linden, live in neighborhoods like Hilltop, live in neighborhoods like Southfield,” said Fleer.  

Fleer recently met with long-time Africentric Basketball Coach Michael Bates to deliver 200 donated tickets for fans hoping to follow the Nubians state tournament run. 

270 Faith has helped out Linden and Africentric so far, raising more than $16,000 in the community. 

Bates said he appreciates the gesture and hopes students learn they can help make a difference. 

“Using basketball also as a vehicle to also introduce people to his faith, you know, it's been a beautiful thing and it's been very helpful our program and people, in general, are learning, you can help,” said Bates. 

“They're definitely grateful you know, a lot of them probably wouldn't have made the effort to even try and make it, but because Zach got them free tickets, a lot of people are coming and starting to support us and I really think that is helping the team too,” said Bates. 

Fleer, a graduate of Central Crossing High School and Ohio State University, said his love of the game and mission go well beyond “likes” or retweets. 

“It doesn't matter if you're Dailyn Swain, the number one player in the area, or you are you know, the worst player on the worst team, you're loved the same,” said Fleer. “You're loved the same by me, you're loved the same by God, and I want to help alleviate a lot of the pressure that's out there because there's so much pressure. We are defined strictly by being a son or daughter of the king, and when you accept that, all that pressure fades.”