Men's Basketball Hoops It Up at Local Elementary School
South Carolina men’s basketball took a break from its regular routine to bring some smiles to the faces of local youngsters on Wednesday. The Gamecocks went to Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School in Blythewood to take part in the after-school program sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands.
“Community service is a big component of who we are, not only as a basketball team but as part of the Athletics Department,” said Carey Rich, who is the special assistant to head coach Lamont Paris and leads the team’s community outreach efforts. “When Coach Paris first got to Columbia, there was one entity that he talked about having a relationship with, going back to his days at Chattanooga, and that was the Boys & Girls Club. We wanted to continue to build on that relationship here in the Midlands. It’s something that our guys really enjoy.”
The Gamecocks went through a couple of drills with the youngsters in the school gymnasium, while a few of the student-athletes brought down the house with several dunks.
“It feels really good, coming from a town where you know there are a lot of kids looking up to you,” said graduate student Nick Pringle, who was also given a plastic beaded bracelet by one of the young fans in attendance, which he proudly wore afterwards. “I definitely got a gift. I like it. I’m going to wear it a little bit! It’s great to be in a setting like this. Hopefully, they all stick together when they grow up.”
“Whenever we have a chance to give back, this is what we do it for,” said graduate student Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk. “It’s great to put smiles on people’s faces. It’s awesome that basketball gives us this platform to do that for other people. There’s nothing better than putting a smile on somebody’s face. For us, it’s a privilege to be here.”
The youngsters provided plenty of energy for the Gamecocks, who all walked away with big smiles as well.
“I enjoyed it,” Bosmans-Verdonk said. “The kids are so grateful. For them to respond to us the way they do is just awesome.”
“It’s something that our guys embrace,” Rich said. “Kudos to our whole team. They understand the importance of it and the responsibility that we share as basketball players and the need to give back to the community.”
