Alabama Men's Basketball Team Visits Northington Elementary
9/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Members of the Alabama men's basketball team and coaching staff took time away from their busy schedules as they spoke with children at Northington Elementary school in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide student-athletes and staff members made the short drive to Northington where they spoke to children from kindergarten to fifth grade about a variety of things. The topics included the importance of staying in school and getting good grades, why it's important not to bully other children and to always listen to their teachers.
Junior guard Retin Obasohan and senior guard Levi Randolph, who were two of the crowd favorites, each said it is equally exciting for the players to have the opportunity to talk to young kids in the community.
"It was just overall a great experience," Obasohan said. "I think it's really important in the situation we are in to give back to the kids who look up to us and maybe even aspire to be a student-athlete like us one day. It is an opportunity for us to share with the kids what lessons we have learned and try and get them to avoid making the same type of mistakes we made growing up."
"It was a good experience," Randolph said. "It feels good to give back a little knowledge of what we have learned over the years. It means a lot to us because being able to do these types of things in the community shows we have made it to a point in our lives where we can teach and mentor what we've learned over the years."
In addition to speaking to the children, the Crimson Tide players also held a question and answer session. Questions ranged from who's their favorite basketball player to what their majors are and what do they want to do once they are done playing basketball.
The team will continue with community service projects in the near future which include free basketball clinics for underprivileged children and visiting a local hospital. The Tide has also taken part in the athletic department events such as Project Angel Tree and the Halloween Extravaganza, among other things.
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