To most people Memorial Day weekend is defined by barbeque, cookouts and time spent with family and friends. This unofficial first weekend of summer also signifies the start of the grind for Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) summer basketball programs around the country who compete in tournaments to expose their players to elite competition, which is as much about winning championships as it a platform to display their talent in front of college scouts.
The Capital City Hoops Classic gave young athletes and aspiring reporters a chance to participate in mock press conferences to develop their public speaking skills. (Courtesy photo)
Local basketball guru Mel George has transformed his Memorial Day weekend tournament into an event whose impact goes well beyond the game. The Capital City Hoops Classic features 200 teams from around the country who are guaranteed to play at least three games in pool play before advancing to the one and done knockout phase of the tournament.
But in between games the lessons of new millennium basketball are not being taught by coaches. Instead, media professionals and financial services executives are set up at unique skills development stations. The financial literacy workshop and mock press conference forums are a big a draw for the teams who pay a $350 registration fee to compete.
“That’s what really has become the most important reason this tournament is successful,” George told the AFRO. “Coaches understand that with all the media attention the elite athletes get these days the players need to understand how to talk to reporters in front of the camera.”
“But if we can get kids at an early age to start thinking about making smarter financial decisions as they get older, it will make their lives a whole lot better.”
Following each game, teams are ushered into an adjacent room that is set up as a major college or professional post game media session. The players sit on a podium and take questions from middle and high school reporters who are also learning how to chronicle events. Each group is tutored on speech delivery, posture and delivering a polished message publicly.
The Student Media Arts Program (SMART) collaborates with high schools, middle schools and colleges and throughout the Maryland, Virginia and District area. The program tracks their early writing, broadcasting and public speaking development like the players who are being scouted to compete in college sports from grades 6-12. This media skills development program is based at D.C. Scholars Charter School in southeast with tentacles reaching to Bowie High School in Prince George’s County, and Arundel High School in Anne Arundel County.
Kevin Walker, a Hyattsville native and former West Virginia State college basketball player, streams high school sports events for the National Federation of High Schools Network.
“There are kids that don’t have the ability to play sports at the highest level but they want to play a role in the atmosphere of those events,” said Walker. “We want teach them the skills so they can make it a career.”
The Basketball Group, the company which stages the event, also honored Ed Hill, Howard University’s retiring Hall of Fame sports information director, during a reception at the Billingsley House in Upper Marlboro, Md.. In 30 years, Hill mentored notable broadcasters such as Fox Sports play by play announcer Gus Johnson, ESPN anchor Stan Verrett and NFL Network reporter Steve Wyche. Many of his former students are now also prominent members of the sports industry in media relations, sports marketing and as administrators with major college conferences and pro sports franchises around the country.