Athletics

At practice with local youngsters, Fayette men’s basketball team gives back

Men’s basketball team members from Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, recently visited the Uniontown YMCA to practice with a youth team called the Base Ballers. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

The Roaring Lions of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, are aggressive against opponents on the basketball court — as evidenced by their winning record this season — but the competitive athletes revealed a different side of themselves as they practiced recently with a group of local boys.

Known collectively as the Base Ballers, this team of fifth- and sixth-graders began playing at the Uniontown YMCA just this season. Two members, Lorenzo McFadden and Joe Chambers, also serve as ball boys for Penn State Fayette, and the team’s coach Todd Chambers is the brother-in-law of Mark John, head men’s basketball coach of the Roaring Lions.

According to John, it was his brother-in-law’s idea to invite the Fayette campus team to a Base Ballers’ practice. “

He asked us if we would come and show these kids some drills and teach them fundamentals,” explained John. “We said, `absolutely.’ It is just a little bit of them giving back to the little kids that give to us.”

John and Chambers scheduled the joint practice at the Y for the afternoon of Jan. 6, a day that Roaring Lions’ team captain Matt McKenna, of Pittsburgh, and his teammates eagerly anticipated. McKenna knew firsthand how the boys would benefit because of his own youthful experience or rather inexperience.

He said, “I know when I was little and trying to figure out how to be coordinated, that it was important for older guys to take time out of their day and just show me the right way to do things.”

Roaring Lion Sean Smoggie, of Carmichaels, also had opportunities to learn from more mature players, though his perspective as a small-town boy differed from McKenna’s. “I was always by myself,” he recalled. “And I was always trying to learn by going to libraries and buying better basketballs.” Smoggie added that he would even pay to attend basketball clinics at a local college to improve his skills.

Charleroi resident Anthony Bristol, who as a boy never practiced with a college team, described what occurred during the two hours he and his teammates spent with the Base Ballers: “We just got them started on a few drills, like shooting, dribbling, defense, working on their footwork. First, we started off with some layups, then just worked on their footing, mainly making sure they were jumping off of the right foot.”

Mario Reeves, who is originally from Philadelphia and now resides in Pittsburgh, added, “We did a couple of drills that we actually do ourselves in practice. We did a three-man weave, a defensive slide drill — just a couple that will let them know what it’s like going through a practice in everyday basketball,” he said.

How did the Base Ballers respond to the drills? “They were great,” said Reeves, who now plans to coach children someday because of this experience. “They had a lot of energy. They were very receptive to what we were telling them. They just wanted to learn,” he said.

Kathy Koffler, mother of Base Baller Zack Koffler, said her son’s teammates loved their practice with the Roaring Lions. She was especially impressed by the manner in which the young men instructed the boys and commented, “They were so good with the kids. That was very nice of them to do in their spare time.”

Coach Chambers concurred with Koffler’s assessment and added, “It was refreshing to see a group of young men volunteer their time after practice to come and work with the kids. The men from Penn State Fayette were professionals and actually seemed to enjoy themselves as well.”

Chambers said he kept the practice a secret until the Roaring Lions walked into the gymnasium at the Y. Perhaps no child there was more surprised than McFadden, who “couldn’t believe the whole Penn State Fayette team was there to help. I thought that was the greatest thing ever,” he exclaimed. “Thanks for making us kids have a great experience that will never be forgotten. Go Penn State!"

The Roaring Lions all described the practice as a good experience — not only for the Base Ballers but also for themselves, and several mentioned how nice it was to “give back” to younger players.

The practice evoked memories for Brownsville resident C.J. Gaddis, who said, “I remember when I was that little and looking up to kids that played at the next level. So, it was just a good experience to give back and watch the kids who were excited to do it.”

Spencer Perieff, who is from Lahaina, Hawaii, commented, “It feels awesome when people look up to you and think they can learn something from you.”

Berlin, Pennsylvania, native Zac Cooney thought it was an enjoyable and productive way to spend an afternoon. He said, “The kids had fun, and they look up to us, so I thought it was fun because they wanted us to be there and we helped them out.”

Although John was unable to attend the practice with the Base Ballers, he and assistant coach Jajuan Davis are keenly aware of the impression their team makes on youngsters, and they prepare the players for such experiences. “We tell these guys that when these little kids are here watching you, you guys are big, strong men to them,” said John. “To the kids, it’s like watching an NBA game.”

The coach continued, “These guys also realize what an impact they have on other lives, not just what we do here on the court. They do a really nice job of giving back when they are asked.” As an example, he cited the free kids’ clinics run by the Roaring Lions during the annual U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournaments at Penn State Fayette.

John strives to create a family atmosphere for his players, who come to Fayette County from all over the United States, including Hawaii, California, Minnesota, Florida and the District of Columbia. He remarked on his team’s camaraderie: “You can see how much fun these guys have together. They live together, they play together, socialize together, they go to dinner together. It’s not just one, or two or three — it’s all of them. And they just love each other’s company. They go out and work every day for each other.”

Even the Penn State Fayette coaches are like family. John and Davis are now in their fifth year of coaching the Roaring Lions but were once teammates themselves. Both played for John’s father, Mark, who was basketball coach at Laurel Highlands High School from 1982 to 2004.

Commenting on the coaching philosophy he and Davis have developed over the years, John said, “We came up under the same system and we have the same beliefs. We both try to be positive with the student-athletes and do more than just teach basketball but teach them how to grow up and be gentlemen and become successful in life.”

Last Updated February 6, 2015