BALTIMORE, Md. – Several members of the Coppin State men’s basketball program visited Windsor Hill Elementary School Thursday afternoon.
They enjoyed a memorable time educating, mentoring, presenting and laughing with the students while emphasizing the five points of emphasis of the “Stay In To Win” program, which is sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The purpose of the program is for college coaches and players to join together with middle and high school teachers to motivate and encourage students, whom are at risk of dropping out, to stay in school and graduate.
Representing the Coppin State men’s basketball program were Taariq Cephas, Daquan Brickhouse, Arnold Fripp, Brandon St. Louis and Lawrence Fejokwu.
“It was a great opportunity for our men’s basketball program to get out in the community and spend some time with the younger generation of Baltimore,” Coppin State assistant men’s basketball coach Elwyn McRoy said. “I thought the guys did an excellent job of speaking during their presentation. So now when they come to the games, they have a rapport with who they’re watching. All of the young people were attentive to our players during the session.”
During Thursday's school visit, a different Coppin State player presented each of the five keys and related the concepts back to experiences from their own lives. Cephas spoke about the importance of staying in school and graduating. Brickhouse talked about creating a success team and success plan. Fejokwu described the importance of learning and practicing strong decision making skills.
“It meant a lot to me to be able to spend some time with the kids,” Fejokwu said. “Growing up in Nigeria, we didn’t have these types of opportunities. This was a fun experience for me being able to help the kids and share with them some of my personal experiences. I tried to let them know that being here meant a lot to me and I tried to relate a lot of it to my personal experiences.”
St. Louis, who graduated in three years, talked about improving academic ways and shared some tips on how to do that. Lastly, Fripp focused on personal development.
“It was a difference-maker,” Fripp said. “It really showed how the impact that a college athlete have on the community by seeing their faces of a lot of young people we talked to and the smiles they had on their faces while we were talking to them.”
One kid was impacted by Fripp’s message. They shared a conversation following the presentation. A criminal justice major, Fripp, who started college at 17 years old, will earn his degree next semester.
“After talking to one little kid,” Fripp said. “We had a conversation about basketball, school and life. He went back over to his teammates and showing how happy he was to talk to me. Seeing the impact I had on somebody I just met was overwhelming and touched my heart. I feel very blessed to be able to inspire young people because a lot of people don’t make it to see my age, play Division I ball or attend college.”
Following the session, members of the Eagles posed for photos and signed autographs for the students. They also left a Stay In To Win workbook that emphasized the five points that the players spoke about. Also included in the Guidebook was A Student Success Planner; Personal Development Checklist; Decision-Making Chart; Self-Reflection, Mentoring, and Group Discussion Questions; and Success Team Inventory.
The NABC and Life Decisions Group, LLC, started the national dropout-prevention initiative in March of 2012 to identify how determination and teamwork help students achieve academic, career and personal success. It is designed to motivate young students to make a strong commitment to education, character development and academic achievement.