Lowry donates $1M to ’Nova
Raptors guard was an example for Philadelphia hoopsters before giving to alma mater
PHILADELPHIA— Jay Wright appreciates the money because $1 million is nothing to sneeze at. And the Villanova basketball coach thanks Raptors guard Kyle Lowry profusely for the donation to his alma mater here Monday. But Wright points to a much less tangible but equally important impact Lowry has on the program and to the athletes who aspire to reach his level.
“It has a big impact on our program that he’s giving that money —we’re going to name the locker room the Kyle Lowry Locker Room — but, still, in the summers when we come in for practice the guys step on the court at 6:45 a.m. and he’s coming off the court, drenched in sweat, already having finished his workout,” Wright said before the Raptors faced the Philadelphia 76ers Monday. “That still has a bigger impact than the money . . .
“But I know I have to be really appreciative of the money.”
Monday turned into quite a day for Lowry, whose Philadelphia roots he’s never forgotten and of which he is intensely proud.
Lowry officially announced the $1-million pledge during a morning news conference, then he returned from a threegame absence due to a bruised tailbone to score 13 points in the Raptors’ 117-111 loss to the 76ers.
“It’s a wonderful day for me,” Lowry said. “Unfortunately we lost, it would have made it a spectacular day . . . That’s the facility (Villanova’s Pavilion) I use every day in the summer when I’m in the city, that’s the one thing about it, they’ve always given me free reign to come and go as I wanted, that’s why it’s a special place for me.”
Lowry was also to be honoured Monday night with the Native Son award given annually by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association to a local athlete playing elsewhere. “Philadelphia sportswriters are not going to give you a pass,” Wright joked. “You’ve got to earn it.”
Lowry, born and raised here, said he was just taking care of people who took care of him.
“It’s not about the money, it’s about family,” Lowry told reporters at the official ceremony for the pledge. “I’m able to give back to this great university that helped me get to where I am: 31 years old, three-time all-star, wife and kids, married. I know it’s crazy, right?”
Lowry has earned his accolades not as much for what he’s done as a player but what he has done as a person. The point guard has grown from a guy who could be sulky and cantankerous into a leader and a proud father and husband. That transformation, that maturation, has been impressive.
“He’s a young man who’s come a long way in life and he’s a survivor, he’s a fighter, he’s a great example for young kids here in Philadelphia and around the country for what you can do if you stay the course,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “He didn’t have . . . the so-called proper upbringing (but) his mom did a great job of raising him, his family did a great job of raising him and he’s fought through a lot. He’s matured, he’s a young man who stands for what you want your kids to be, to fight, to survive, to work on your craft.” Teammate DeMar DeRozan famously once said “I am Toronto” but his Raptors backcourt partner can truly claim that he is Philadelphia. Born here, Lowry starred at Cardinal Dougherty High School here and played two years at Villanova.
He’s a typically tough Philadelphia kid.
“Any time he’s home, he comes to a game; in the summer, he’s working out there all the time,” Wright said. “Even when we went to the Final Four, he found a way to get there. He never forgets where he came from.
“He takes great pride in being a Philadelphia basketball player and he brought that to Villanova. We didn’t have a lot, at that time, of Philly guys and he kind of set the tone for Philadelphia basketball players wanting to come to Villanova.”