SOS Basketball helps youth

ONLINE voting continues in the The Courts TT Heroes Initiative which seeks to recognise “the selfless giving and work” of the people who are making a difference in the lives of others.

Eight finalists have been selected from an initial 30 nominees for their contributions to society. Today we feature Kern George founder of the Maloney-based Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy. Voting continues online until October 9.

"A hero is someone who leads by example. Someone who shows the path of victory, championing a cause. Someone who is selfless in an effort of making others better. The rent you pay for occupying space on this earth is by helping others."

Courts Hero nominee and founder of Maloney-based Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy Kern George is championing a cause in youth development through basketball. "My hero is my mother. She did anything it took and sacrificed to give me the best."

The academy formed in 2013 involves basketball coaching, but with a social and personal development element planned with an intention of building those who participate. The programme accommodates participants between five and 21 years.

"We use basketball as an avenue for developing better human beings. We teach them life, social and communication skills through leadership training," George said.

The group of guides assist young participants in the process of finding what they may be passionate about, which is a powerful tool for contemplating a career path. George acknowledged that all participants may not be academically inclined – this he said, is where he saw it important to include technical skills training. "Electrical, refrigeration, air conditioning and plumbing training was included for those who reached 18 and wanted to join the military service and needed to acquire skills."

A former participant of the programme was the first international scholarship recipient. "Ashanti Phillips started the programme two years ago and received the scholarship two weeks ago. She is now at Sheridan College in Wyoming."

The league of training and mentorship guides continue to expand, allowing the academy to reach more young people – giving all participants the ability to gain a greater level of individual attention for best results. "Now we have about three or four experienced guys who played on the national team with me. We have under-20, under-16 and under-12 teams competing. We recently put together a girls' team­– we now have a female programme, and they are all doing well."

George said he was inspired to form the initiative as a way of paying it forward. "Apart from my friends and family, basketball gave me everything in my life. One day I came across a statement saying, 'Some of us use basketball to become better human beings and some use basketball and play for the rest of our lives.'" That statement resulted in him revisiting his journey.

He said much of what he accomplished in his life still takes him by surprise in retrospect. "I started playing basketball late, I didn't make it to the NBA, but I got as good as possible to get a scholarship. If anyone told me I would have gone on to get two bachelors degrees and a masters I would have told them they're lying."

Born and raised in Maloney, George was awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse where he studied sports science. Though prompted to stay in the United States, he decided to return to TT. "My heart's desire was always to better my country. I wanted to come back, to give back."

What began as an idea after returning to TT has become a safe space for over 145 teens –­ a place which has helped them grow holistically.

"When I started doing level one and level two coaching, it was not long before I realised it really was not just about basketball."

George was faced by the unavoidable fact that many of the children were podium potential athletes. He said training and the children's love for the sport gave parents, schools and coach leverage.

"If they weren't able to keep their grades up or disrespected their parents, they could not play. That was motivation for them to push on and off the court. I have seen students move from Ds to As. Children nowadays must have a why."

He teaches the importance of the "why." This he says helps give them perspective on the importance and potential impact of every action and brings them back to focusing on what should be most important when they are distracted. "I realised when they have a why, sky's the limit for them."

The programme was initiated with the intention of making an impact on at-risk youth. "But when we started, it began with a core set of students from a number of schools who were part of the school basketball league. We invited them from all over to a camp, but about 95 per cent of the participants were from low socio-economic backgrounds."

Participants include students from Maloney, Sangre Grande, Arima, Curepe, Trincity, Morvant and Las Lomas, to name a few.

Asked to share a story which stood out to him since the beginning of the programme, George said, "I met this young man through the mother of one of his friends. He was introduced to the programme because of what he was experiencing in school."

It was not because he liked basketball, but because of the discipline and care for which the academy became known.

"He used to be suspended from school almost every day after returning from suspension. A lot of it had to do with the environment he was living in and he had no 'why.' He lived in a yard where there were hard drugs like cocaine and he had to pass those steps every day. My goal for him was to not stop coming and learning."

George said the student gained the discipline and other necessary for improving his life. The student is now a footballer. "He is no longer being suspended and has become one of the most respectful students at his school. He will be joining a pro league team soon. Now his two little sisters are part of programme because of the impact it had on him – they are five and nine."

George also connects youth with other programmes including swimming, track and field and football. "The goal is to one day have a sports academy. So when a child comes we can put them anywhere in a range of sports depending on their interest and from there they will know what they want to stick with. This leads to the opening of the netball programme we will kick-start soon in collaboration with Jennifer Frank who played nationally for TT."

Asked what challenges he encountered, George said funding has been a challenge. "Funding is not always monetary funding, but also sponsorship of equipment and things like sports gear." He said getting those things have been among the more challenging parts of running the academy. Another challenge, he said, was also finding the necessary human resource. "Apart from the core team we have not had a constant flow of committed humans. What eventually happened is that young men who went through the programme have returned to assist in training and empowering the younger ones."

George said his intention is to keep giving the children his best, so they can become their best. "I keep making an effort to improve everything I do so I can give them by best. I don't want to cheat them in any way. I will remain assertive in what I do to get what is needed to get beyond the challenges to make an impact."

To vote for this nominee, visit https://unicomercourtscaribbean.wishpond.com/courtsheroes/