The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Huskies play roles of mentors, mentees
HARTFORD — As UConn basketball players and coach Dan Hurley interacted with fifthgrade students at Naylor Elementary School on Monday morning, a man sporting a UConn tshirt and a running back’s physique watched approvingly from the hallway.
Maurice Clarett, the former Ohio State star running back whose career derailed and spent 31⁄2 years in prison for armed robbery and other charges, has been a sort of mentor to UConn players for the past several months. It started over the summer, when Clarett, through a mutual friend of him and UConn assistant coach Kimani Young, spoke to the team. He has returned several times since, showing up at a few home games and offering his support and inspiration to the players through speeches and oneonone conversations.
“I just come and speak with the players, essentially talk about my experience and also have an opportunity to help guys get different perspectives on how they view situations,” Clarett said. “I’m very honored and humbled to get a chance to come back and do this on a regular basis. I enjoy being around the guys and coaches. It’s cool to help somebody turn on the light.”
In short, it’s sort of a macro version of what UConn’s players and coaches have done for the fifthgraders at Naylor the past two years — a program (sponsored by the law offices of RisCassi & Davis) designed to provide innercity kids with role models and mentors.
“The message to our players is you can only succeed or achieve in life if you’ve got a high level of education, or if you value education and learning,” said Hurley. “Also, to be a wellrounded person who’s fulfilled and happy, you’ve got to give back. You’ve got to enrich the lives of others. To come in here for a couple of hours
and provide a message and develop relationships for the day, try to brighten up the day and bring some energy to the school and the students is a good thing.”
“Growing up, I didn’t have stuff like this,” freshman Akok Akok noted. “Coming here for these little kids that idolize us, we’re coming in to help make their day and put a smile on their faces. It’s definitely good giving back.”
Added redshirt guard RJ Cole: “There are a lot of kids who look up to us, and people like us, so it’s a good opportunity to give back.”
The players divided up into three different classrooms, with kids switching rooms every halfhour or so. Hurley popped in and out of all three rooms periodically. The threehour event ended with a pizza party and UConn players handing out gifts to the students that included UConn gear, books and playground toys.
Akok seemed to relish the opportunity as much as any of his teammates. He was so proud of one drawing that a student made of him, the 6foot9 forward insisted that anybody in his general vicinity take a picture of it. Sophomore guard Brendan Adams and student assistant coach Mamadou Diarra were involved in some spirited contests with the kids. Alterique Gilbert seemed to draw a crowd of students in his own quiet way.
“These guys were in this type of school, this type of neighborhood,” Hurley said of his players. “Through education, activity, brave teachers and brave coaches, they were able to continue to advance through high school — academically and through activity, which was basketball. It all started at a place like this for them.”
When UConn players need some mentoring, some advice from a guy who comes from a similar background and was as big as college sports star as there was 15 years ago, they can turn to Clarett. Clarett, 36, travels around to numerous other schools, speaking to football and men’s and women’s basketball teams, but has spent a lot of time at UConn in recent weeks.
“(I talk about) struggles throughout the collegiate process, getting a better perspective, being more aware,” he said. “At 18 or 19, everything’s all about the sport. I give them my experience and perspective and try to relate to them to make the most of their situation. As long as they grasp onto it, ask questions, you form a relationship and keep and grow a relationship.”
In September, freshman James Bouknight was involved in an oncampus vehicular incident that ultimately led to his arrest. He has been accepted into an accelerated rehabilitation program that can clear his charges within the year.
Bouknight’s incident wasn’t as serious as some of the ones Clarett was involved in and ultimately led to his incarceration. But Clarett provided a good source of perspective for Bouknight while he went through his troubles.
“You talk about what the situation is, whatever you’re going through,” Clarett said. “You accept it, you learn from it and grow. You learn from it and move forward. That’s all anybody can do, it doesn’t matter if it’s James, or me, or the coach, you or whoever. We all make choices that when we look back on it, ‘Hey, that probably wasn’t the best thing that I should have done.’ But, everybody doesn’t have the same responsibility with making decisions. Studentathletes have a higher responsibility and higher spotlight and at times we don’t view ourselves that way. Then these things happen and we look back and say, ‘I probably should have made a better decision.’ It is what it is, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Perspective. Someone to look up to and learn a little from. UConn basketball players provided some of that to Naylor School students on Monday morning. Maurice Clarett has provided that for UConn basketball players
for the past several months.
RIM RATTLINGS
⏩ Cole is sitting out the season as a transfer from Howard, but is happy with the progress he’s making in practice each day.
“I’ve gotten a lot better on things I need to work on like defense and trying to be a leader as much as possible for the young guys and trying to help out with anything I can do in practice,” said Cole, who’ll have two years of eligibility left starting next season.
He said that applying for a waiver “never really crossed his mind,” but that he’s still able to be a leader for some of the younger players.
“We talk everyday, outside of basketball, on the court. I try to be in their heads as much as possible.”
Hurley noted that Cole and freshman forward Richie Springs, an academic redshirt, are coming along well.
“RJ’s got offensive abilities to make people around him better, his decisionmaking, passing, playmaking, he’s got a high IQ,” said the coach. “I think this year is big for Richie, similar to Akok, who was able to get a half a year in. When you get a full year in of understanding what the practices are like, what the system is like, the whole experience is gonna really allow Richie to give us minutes when he’s ready.”
Akok joined the team last January as a nonplaying walkon.
“It put him so much further ahead of James and Jalen (Gaffney),” said Hurley. “Just giving him a great understanding of what’s coming, it prepared him to take the harder coaching you get in the winter than what you get in the summer or preseason. It’s big, and Richie’s gonna be the beneficiary of that. So will RJ.”
⏩ The annual Jim Calhoun Charity Classic may be moved up to June 2729 this summer — and may not include a basketball game.
Instead of a game at Mohegan Sun Arena between former UConn stars that has included players like Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor, Kemba Walker and others in recent years, organizers may instead schedule an event at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center where explayers speak and interact with alumni, sponsors, paying public, etc. No final decisions have been made as of yet, however.