Men's Hoop Team Making Points with Keene Kids
Off to its best start in several seasons, the Keene State College men’s basketball team is not only putting up impressive numbers on the court, but making points when it comes to community service.
On January 7, the Owls hosted 14 kids from Keene Housing for an hour-long basketball clinic at Spaulding Gym. The children, who live in Keene Housing’s properties for low-income families and families dealing with disabilities, range in age from five to 12. They had an opportunity to work on their basketball skills and participate in several fun activities.
“It’s a way for the children to come over to our campus and spend time with some role models from the community,” said Steve Boudreau, an assistant coach for the Owls who set up the clinic with the help of Jessica Gagne Cloutier, coordinator of Community Service at Keene State. “The kids really do enjoy it. They sometimes look at our guys like they’re larger than life.”
It was the second year in a row that the kids have been invited to join the Owls on the court. “I posted pictures of all the activities we’ve done throughout the year and all of the kids were really excited about going over to Keene State again, so we made it happen,” said Anna Crosby, who has served as the youth service administrator for Keene Housing the past four years.
“I was excited about coming over because I’ve played basketball for five years now and I wanted to practice on these baskets because my hoops at home are three feet shorter,” said nine-year-old Gabe. “I can almost slam dunk the ball.”
“I was really excited because I never really played basketball with all the Keene State College people. They’re like professional, so it was really cool,” said Natalie, who is 11 years old.
Following a meet-and-greet and some stretching, it was time to get to work on a few basketball skills. In groups, the kids practiced passing, dribbling, and shooting. Keene State sophomore point guard Lucas Hammel demonstrated his dribbling and later led a conga-line of basketball-bouncing kids around the gym.
“It’s always fun when you can do something like this and reach out to the community. It’s only an hour, but it’s a great hour,” said Hammel, who is from Methuen, MA. “At this age, you’re not trying to force them into drills. You’re just trying to encourage them and make sure they leave the gym with a smile on their face.”
The pint-size players took turns shooting baskets, with several Owls providing a helping hand by lifting the kids up so they could experience the joy of making a basket.
“I love working with the kids. Everyone is having a lot of fun, regardless if they mess up or do well. It’s a good atmosphere,” said Nate Stitchell, a junior guard from Coventry, RI, who joined the Owls this season after playing at Mercy (NY) College last year. “I remember going to Providence Friars camp and looking up to all the guys and wanting to play with them. It’s nice to be able to do the same for these kids.”
“We have a good record, but people don’t know us on a personal level,” Stitchell added. “It’s nice to get these kids in here so they get to know us not just as basketball players but as people.”
Playing basketball is one of the many activities that the Keene kids participate in during the enrichment program that provides a safe haven for the children between 3 and 6 p.m. during the week. According to Crosby, the children will take part in a myriad of seasonal activities throughout the year. Later this winter, they will team up with students from the Harrisville School for a winter Olympic event, when they will learn to cross-country ski and snowshoe. Keene Housing also has partnerships with MoCo Arts, the YMCA, and the Keene Recreation Center. The school-aged kids also have time to do their homework during the afterschool program.
“I’ve had the same group of kids for four years,” said Crosby. “The nice thing about it is they don’t graduate and move on to a different classroom. People move and new kids will come in and the older kids will embrace them like family.”
No clinic would be complete without an amusing basketball relay race. Wearing oversized basketball shorts and tops, the kids attempted to dribble down to the end of the gym and back. All bets were off when it came to picking a winner. KSC sophomore forward Owen Murphy from Plymouth, MA, however, took matters into his own hands, hoisting seven-year-old Braydon over his shoulder and carrying him over the finish line.
The clinic concluded with all the kids going through a line of high- (make that low-) fiving players and receiving a backpack loaded with goodies. The icing on the cake was the singing of “Happy Birthday” to Alieah, who turned seven that day. “Our guys also enjoyed it. They left the gym with a nice rewarding feeling,” said Boudreau. “When it comes to community service, it’s all about building a culture and building a team, and they understand that and grasp that.”
