Super star basketball player, business man and actor Lebron James opened the I promise school in Akron Ohio This Year. With an obvious emotional attachment to Akron as his hometown, James wanted to afford children opportunities he was not afforded, by creating a school strictly for “at risk” kids, that also focuses on the well being of the parents. Emotional support is available for parents as well as on site food pantries.
Although basketball created the wealth he needed to build such a school, the reality is there are roughly 10,000 college basketball players each year, and around 360 NBA players. James’ school focuses on the potential of each child in the classrooms ensure they have the proper resources and knowledge to attend college and beyond, although different methods the Fresh Coast Classic shares similar goals.
The 12thannual Fresh Coast Basketball and Drumline tournament took place this past weekend, on Friday and Saturday providing entertainment for most, and opportunity for others. Held at the University of Milwaukee Klotsche Center, the gym was nearly packed out throughout the weekend as Milwaukee public school took on schools in suburban areas. The very essence of the event is to expose students to resources for college through the event’s college resource fair. In its origin, the tournament focused on flying in HBCU’S (Historically black colleges); in an effort to match students in environments that would help enrich their culture. Rising flight and travel costs have since halted those efforts, but local colleges and bands are still involved to keep the event’s traditions in affect. Many teams battled it out, with some of the marquee match ups being between Milwaukee King against Arrowhead, and number 2 ranked Washington Men’s teams against number 5 ranked Racine Park. Both MPS schools got the victories. The event allowed current and former students to mingle with classmates while enjoying some competitive action, food and entertainment. Rather player or spectator you left the event with a feeling of joy and satisfaction, perfect ending to a Thanksgiving weekend