May Syrian refugees NEVER watch the NBA
Keep their game and its culture pure.
The Azraq School in Jordan was built for Syrian refugee children living in their nearby refugee camp. The school has new technology, modern classrooms and a talented, passionate staff. For the children and their families, it is a lifeline.
I visited this school in June 2021, where I brought a plethora of basketballs and other basic equipment; call it a mini Full Court Peace project. I stayed in a nearby lodge, which is next to a giant US-Jordan military base. Safety was not a concern.
For three days, and with the help of a translator, I introduced boys and girls to the game of basketball. I taught traveling and double-dribbling rules and the importance of pivoting. I taught defense, shooting and ball-handling, too. When they were ready, the kids played full court games. It looked somewhat like basketball. Thankfully, it looked nothing like American youth basketball.
I fund these projects by coaching privately in Connecticut. A lot of the time, I have to watch middle school boys put their palms up at me or at referees. They shoot step-back shots with terrible shooting mechanics. They play defense without an ounce of pride. The NBA culture has trickled down to the kids, and it’s sickening to watch.
The Syrian kids nodded at every point of instruction. They took layups; they inherently knew longer shots were harder to make. They reminded each other about the rules and thanked one another for helping in the learning process. There were no overpriced sneakers, no $80 basketballs, no referees being screamed at and no overpaid and unqualified coaches.
There was simply love for the game and for exercise, and most of all, love for community.
Gosh, have we fallen off of course in the US with youth basketball. If these three faces tell us anything, it’s that the purity of the game must make a comeback on US soil, or we’ll be doomed on the hardwood.