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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Everybody loves basketball. What's better is
that everybody can play basketball!
What has long been staple
of communities across the country, no sport has stepped across
racial lines and provides a means for diversity the way the hardwood
has.
On the court, the color of your skin doesn't matter. On
the court what matters is the skill in your body, the power in your
mind, and the drive in your heart.
That's why when the
opportunity to talk to young, impressionable minds presented itself
at the 2015 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball
tournament held in Charlotte, North Carolina, Feb. 26-28, 2015 ...
Soldiers and officers of the Army Reserve took that opportunity and
ran with it.
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February 27, 2015 - Army Reserve drill sergeant, Staff
Sergeant Brian Johnson, Task Force Marshall, 108th Training Command
(IET), encourages a young fan to do one more pull-up at Fan Fest
during the 2015 CIAA basketball tournament held annually in
Charlotte, NC. Johnson was on hand to tout the
benefits and opportunities of military service by way of the Army
Reserve. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton)
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“This has been an incredible experience. Coming to the
CIAA tournament is always awesome. But doing it in a role
that I love, as a drill sgt., and being able to present the
opportunities and benefits of the Army Reserve makes it even
better,” said Army Reserve drill sgt., Staff Sgt. Brian
Johnson, Task Force Marshall, 108th Training Command.
Founded in 1912 as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic
Association, the CIAA consists of historically black
colleges and universities on the east coast, ranging from
Pennsylvania to North Carolina. With schools such as Johnson
C. Smith University and Virginia State University, the
conference now dubbed the Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association boasts such alums as Ben Wallace, a professional
basketball player formerly with the Detroit Pistons, and
Greg Toler, a professional football player drafted by the
Arizona Cardinals in 2009.
Though its name has
changed as well as its membership through the years, the
CIAA remains the oldest African-American athletic conference
in the United States.
“Where I come from on the West
side of Charlotte there were very limited opportunities,
especially for African-American males. Being raised by
mother, and without my father in my life, to have students
from schools such as J.C.S.U. come and tutor kids like
myself in my community: that left a lasting impression on
me. Now it's time for me to give something back,” Johnson
said.
Throughout the week, Soldiers from the Army and
Army Reserve set up shop at the Time Warner Cable Arena
where the tournament was played, and at ‘Fan Fest' held at
the Charlotte Convention Center just blocks away. Events
included an ROTC scholarship presentation at center court of
the arena, concerts, step competitions, and a career fair.
As more than 100,000 spectators braved the elements to
attend the event, not even the treacherous winter weather
with six inches of snow uncharacteristic to the area could
deter event attendees.
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February 27, 2015 - Army Reserve drill sergeant, Staff Sgt. Brian Johnson, Task Force Marshall, 108th Training Command (IET), provides motivation during a skills competition at Fan Fest during the 2015 CIAA basketball tournament held annually in Charlotte,
NC. Johnson is part of a team of Soldiers selected to showcase the advantages and opportunities of military service by way of the Army Reserve at the event. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton)
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“Weather permitting, I'll get the chance to continue to
talk to these young kids about the benefits of the ROTC
program,” said Gregory Wiegand, a cadet currently in the
ROTC program and former enlisted military police Soldier
with the Army Reserve.
“I enjoyed my time as an
enlisted Soldier but I really admired and respected my first
line leader who happened to be the executive officer when I
was deployed to Iraq. After sitting down with him and
hearing how much he enjoyed his career, I decided to do it
full time and hopefully I can convince some of these folks
to do the same,” Wiegand added.
While
all of the volunteers at the event felt some connection to
the CIAA, for some that connection has lasted a lifetime.
“Originally when I joined the ROTC program, it was about
getting money and paying my way through college. Now I see
it's more about changing lives. That's what ROTC has done
for me. It has changed my life,” said Col. Samuel Licorish,
USACAPOC (A) Organizational Inspectional Program chief and
Virginia State alum.
“This is my own personal reach
back program. I know what the ROTC program and the Army have
done for me. The program is about developing leaders and I'm
hoping to talk to some of these future leaders; telling them
what being a leader is all about, and get these kids to get
involved. When I got involved in the program in the eighties
no one talked to me about being a leader. That's the message
I want to convey to these kids today. That's the message I
want to convey when I retire. I want to be a mentor to these
kids long after my career with the Army is over,” Licorish
said.
No matter your connection to the CIAA. No
matter your sex, color, or creed. No matter whether you are
enlisted or commissioned. The Army Reserve has always been
about mentoring young minds and there is no better way to
provide that mentorship than on the hardwood.
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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