Coach of the award-winning Chosen League, Philly Roots Fellow Isaiah Thomas says he coaches to mentor instead of coaching to win.
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A coach is someone I believe can have the greatest influence on children. I know this to be true because the most influential people in my life were coaches, particularly, my father, Barry Thomas.
My father served as a mentor to countless children across the city of Philadelphia. And although he would bring us to the places where he mentored during the week, the weekends were always reserved for family time and we spent it either cheering on our favorite team, the Philadelphia 76ers, or eating popcorn while we watched pg-13 movies at Cottman Ave Movie Theatre, in the Northeast section of the city.
While most of our activities included my immediate family—such as my younger sisters Angel, Sophia and Iaisha, as well as my older brothers Tyrone, Oj, Stanley, Barry Jr., Lamar, and Chris—some of the most impactful moments of my childhood were spent between just me and my dad, during our daily morning commute.
We talked about everything from politics to academics. Vibing of our love for sports, mainly basketball, we would usually talk about the Sixers, who at that time was lead by Allen Iverson. With the car window down and the cold breeze punishing my face for disliking the smell of my dad’s cigarettes, we would debate on the 76ers chances of winning a NBA title; I was sure of their impending victory, my father, not so much.
Our morning commutes—which lasted nearly twenty minute—taught me the importance of consistency, as my father went to work every day – rain or shine – after dropping me off at Frankford High School. For me, a young black male, seeing that level of commitment on a daily basis had major impact on my development. I didn’t know it at the time, but those moments dodging cigarette smoke while talking sports in my father’s navy blue Ford Explorer was preparing me for what has become my life’s work.
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After highschool I went on to attend Penn State Abington with several of my friends, where I played basketball for the university. My intentions were solely to obtain a bachelors degree and go into the business sector. My plans were altered after my friends and I begin to mentor youth in the community, through the Freedom Schools Program.
All of my friends have had some interaction with the Freedom School Program. Freedom School is a free summer program that encourages academics (specifically reading enrichment), inter-generational leadership, social action, conflict resolution and more. After gaining a wealth of leadership and professional experience overseeing the Freedom Schools program and recognizing the importance of financial independence moving into a changing economy, my friends and I decided to go into this business together – we started an investment company entitled Community Life Enrichment Partnership. This new business had numerous investments, one of which was a non-profit organization called Mature Cradle, Inc. Mature Cradle’s mission is to educate youth through the athletics and performing arts and provide free resources for children and families in the Philadelphia Region.
My friends and I felt a non-profit component designed to give back was needed because we knew a space to mentor young black males through basketball would be a great mechanism to give to the community. This idea came after we reflected on the influence of our coaches, specifically how they mentored my friends and I as we transitioned from childhood to adulthood.
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Our Penn State coaches, (Ameen Akbar, Maurice Williams and Mike Peters) would always allow our friends to come to the gym and workout with us, as they taught us it was bigger than basketball. It was about the relationship we were building with one another and the bonds we were creating. It was about the lessons we were learning through basketball such as hard work, the importance of effective communication and a number of other lessons we were able to learn through our athletic experience. They often used their relationship as coaches as an example for us, as they mentored the guys who played for them as well as those who did not. Now every year, in the last week of August, me and my friends do the same, with the Isaiah Thomas Basketball Camp; a free day camp where we mentor children and teach them the fundamentals of basketball, while giving away free resources.
From the work we’ve done with mentoring young adults and offering the Isaiah Thomas Basketball Camp, we have serviced and supported countless children in the city of Philadelphia. None of us are yet over 30 and somehow we still feel old as we have watch children transition from middle school to high school and high school to college. We don’t select children based on their skill sets, which has enables us to coach and mentor children of various talent levels – some playing for the first time. We often get together to attend the games of some of our young people and reminisce about our early coaching days.
The reason we felt it was important to mentor through coaching was because we all understood the influence a coach has with his players and the impact a coach can have on the student-athletes both inside and outside the athletic space. Before starting our work as mentors we would often share stories of different negative experiences we encountered on various playing levels and we vowed to make sure the children we coached and mentored will have a better opportunity than we did. We hoped our youth would understand what it takes to reach whatever goals they set for themselves; whether it was playing varsity, college or professional basketball; or even just a hobby.
One of the things we always tell our children is if you want basketball to pay your bills you have to treat it like a full time job. We also tell them most of you will not play basketball for money, but you can use your network and the people you meet to help advise other goals you may have for yourself. This is the beauty of the basketball; the relationship transcends the court when its done the right way. So coaches, please recognize you are more than just a coach. You are a mentor; someone the children should be able to rely on both on and off the court. If we had more coaches who coached to mentor instead of coaching to win, would our children be better off? Would it improve the quality of student athletes we produce as we prepare our children for college? The only way we’ll know the answer is if we do the work.
Happy National Mentoring Month! Celebrate by becoming a mentor today!
CLICK HERE TO SEE BLACK MALE MENTORS IN THE NEWS!
B.O.L.D member Isaiah Thomas is a former Philadelphia City Council candidate and Executive Director, Mature Cradle, Inc.
**Editors note: Christopher “Flood The Drummer” Norris has curated all of these stories from the mentors in his community for a special a series on mentoring. after the series is complete all of the essays will be made into a book by TechbookOnline.
Source: TBO Inc®
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Photo: C. Norris
The post I Coach Because He Coached: Inspired by Men Who Mentor appeared first on The Good Men Project.
