City cop Roberto Diaz coaches New York City students on and off the court.

BY CLAUDIA TORRENS, Daily News 

Posted Wednesday, April 25th 2007, 4:00 AM

Balls bouncing, high school players cheering in excitement and the continuous squeaky sound of sneakers in the basketball court. That's how Roberto Diaz has spent many hours over the last 12 years. And that's where he plans to be the next 50. The 33-year-old Dominican immigrant and New York City police officer decided years ago to use basketball as a way to keep kids off the streets and help them achieve their dreams and a successful life. That's why he founded the N.Y.C. Finest Basketball Academy in 2001. Through donations, lots of work and some of his own money, he created the nonprofit, which organizes free basketball training and tournaments in gyms across Queens. Diaz, a man with a warm smile but a firm voice, spends his weekends and free time with the players, coaching them on the court and coaching them in life. He gets to know them, asks them about school, and wants to see their grades and hear about their problems.

How he manages to be a Detective, volunteer as an assistant coach for the varsity and junior varsity basketball teams of John Bowne High School in Flushing and run his academy is a mystery to many, including him. "I try not to think about it," he says. "For me, the best reward is to see the kids succeed after struggling; to see them smile." 

Several of his players have moved on to play at the college level and others have become the academy's board members. Thank you messages for Diaz accumulate on the program's Web site. And "thank you" is what Diaz regularly hears in the corridors of John Bowne. "He is a friend, a brother, a father figure. He is all that. If you really need help, he will be there," said player Allan Thomas, who is a junior at Thomas Edison High School in Queens. The 17-year-old has been in the academy for a year and would like to play basketball at the collegiate level. Diaz has encouraged him to achieve that goal. "I used to have bad habits playing. He taught me how to correct those," said Thomas, who recently led the Thomas Edison High School team to the 2006-07 Queens Borough Champions. "He does not yell at you. When something is wrong, he just tells you and teaches you how to correct it. He is a really fun coach."

Diaz arrived in the United States from the small town of El Fraile in the province of Santiago, at the age of 14. He graduated from Queensborough Community College with an associate degree in computer programming and information systems. He then obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice at John Jay College, in Manhattan.

He still remembers the day his basketball coach gave him a ride to a game when he was 15. Such a small favor meant a lot to him. "Coming from the Dominican Republic, you build a level of appreciation for whatever you can get here," says Diaz, who is single and lives in Corona. "Little things like that mean a lot when you are coming from somewhere where you don't have anything."

Diaz has worked as a police officer for almost nine years and has been a volunteer coach for the last 12. He started out coaching baseball and basketball in Queens schools.

"You enjoy being part of something but sometimes you see that things could be done better," says Diaz. "I saw the need for a program that could provide guidance and discipline. It was a program that could help kids be responsible, do the right thing, be on time."

Diaz also created a basketball program for girls last year called New York City Lady Finest. With 24 high school students in the program and a head coach to help him out, Lady Finest is becoming a popular way to promote women's basketball. Sending tons of e-mails and talking on the phone is how Diaz organizes the assistant coaches and the students for the program's training and tournaments. "It's like having a second job," explains Diaz. "However, it's the best feeling when you are able to make a difference." Academics also are part of N.Y.C. Finest. Diaz talks with the students privately before they join the program and very often asks them for their report cards. It's not only about building confidence and self-esteem in his players. It's also about improving their work in school and making them better leaders, he says. "I help them out with their Spanish classes, too," he adds.

Elvis Vukelj, a police officer who works with Diaz at the department's Community Affairs Bureau in Queens, is surprised to see how much Diaz can handle at the same time. He describes his partner as an "unselfish man" who goes far beyond to help others. Vukelj, who also works with Diaz at the New Immigrant/Special Outreach Unit of the NYPD, is shocked to see the response Diaz gets on the streets. "Everywhere we go I see these young, tall kids come to him and say 'Hi, Rob!' Everywhere we go," said Vukelj. "He spends so much time with these kids. He helped my transition into this unit and then I see what he does for these students ... and I think it's just amazing."