NBA Stars Promote Peace Using Basketball

For a lot of young men in Chicago basketball is a way of life.  Over the weekend Isiah Thomas and other NBA celebrities tried to save lives with the Peace Basketball Tournament.   “It’s a historical event where the gangs are coming together and they’re going to play a game involving peace, to stop the killing,” Thomas told NBA.com

Credit Steve Aschburner/NBA.com

St. Sabina's Father Michael Pfleger organized the event and he had plenty of star power to grab the kids attention.  Bulls stars Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson along with Chicago legends Quentin Richardson and Antoine Walker coached teams and were part of a panel.  In a city where good jump shooters are just as common as shootouts it's important for celebrities to make their voices heard to help curb the violence.

Credit Steve Aschburner/NBA.com

 

28 kids from four rival gangs competed and even though he didn't drive down the lane, Father Pfleger did offer a big assist to stop the drive-by shootings.  Father Plfeger set up an agreement with local businesses to provide jobs to all the gang members in exchange for their peace pledge.  “You see the reaction. People are so thrilled, so excited. This isn’t happening at the United Center. This is happening on 79th St. That’s the key.” Pfleger told NBA.com 

79th street is an area I know well having grown up on the South Side.  I attended Whitney Young High School with Richardson and we lived just a few blocks away from each other.  Gang violence is so prevalent on the South Side - and several other areas in Chicago - escaping it is probably tougher than winning the city league championship.  Hopefully the message of peace will inspire the gang members to pursue their NBA dreams or take another positive path.  Instead of taking a life and ending up spending theirs behind bars.

That Town's Got Talent

Alabama jumped to No. 1 in the AP and USA Today/Coaches Poll this week.  At the college level winning starts with recruiting and Tide Coach Nick Saban is well aware of the vast amount of talent located in Mobile, AL.  Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron hails from the place also known as the Port City.  He burst on the scene nationally with a stellar performance in the BCS Championship game earning Offensive MVP honors.  If the Tide continues to win and McCarron puts up big numbers he could easily find himself in the Heisman race.  McCarron was a high school teammate of former Tide player Mark Barron.  The duo won a 5A state championshp together at St. Paul's in 2007.   Barron was the 7th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 draft.

C.J. Mosley came out of Theodore -which is just a few miles from Mobile-ready to play for the Tide. Mosley competed in all 13 games as a true freshman.  As a junior he's now one of the anchors on the Tide's defense.  In the season opener against Michigan, Mosley posted his third interception return for a touchdown in his career.  That tied a school record.  On the same night the nation also got their first look at running back T.J. Yeldon. He's a star in the making from Daphne which is a town nearby Mobile.  Yeldon became the first Tide player to run for over 100 yards in their debut racking up 111 rushing yards on 11 carries.   He was Mr. Football in the state of Alabama in 2011 and has all the tools to follow in the footsteps of Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.

Fullback Jalston Fowler will be blocking for Yeldon when he's not running over players himself.  Fowler is a bruising back from Mobile who won a 5A state title with Vigor in 2008.  Offensive lineman D.J. Fluker and Safety Robert Lester call Foley home, which is about 40 miles from Mobile.  Fluker was named a preseason All-American by several publications.  Fluker and Lester played at Foley, the same high school that produced current Falcons player and former Tide Wide Receiver Julio Jones.  When you take a look at the roster for the No. 1 team in the country, you can see the Mobile area is one college coaches can't afford to overlook on the recruiting trail.