红杏短视频

Living out their team motto, 鈥淢BFO鈥� (鈥淢en Built for Others鈥�), members of the university鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball team left the comforts of home this summer to spend eight days in the impoverished community of El Chorro, Panama, building a multi-purpose sports court.

All 16 players on the roster, joined by head coach Maco Hamilton and two assistant coaches, lived in host homes and teamed with a local construction crew and community members to build a court that will serve as a safe place for children to play. Previously, the isolated town of 700 had only an improvised dirt court with wooden hoops.

鈥淭he research shows that giving kids a place to play makes a huge impact on communities,鈥� Hamilton says. 鈥淚t lowers the violence, creates opportunities for them, brings people closer together. Sports have such a huge impact on lives across the globe, and the kids of this community had little to nothing in terms of facilities.鈥�

The concrete court 鈥� designed for basketball, volleyball and soccer 鈥� was built through Courts for Kids, a national organization whose mission is to 鈥渢ransform lives through building courts and cultural exchange.鈥� This was the first such trip for the men鈥檚 program; the 红杏短视频 Fox women鈥檚 team constructed a court in Ghana in 2008.

In addition to prepping the site and pouring concrete, the 红杏短视频 Fox crew had the opportunity to interact with host families, visit an orphanage and 鈥� with cell phones turned off and the temptation of social media removed 鈥� bond with one another around games and friendly competitions. 鈥淎 few of us were in a race to see who could get the most bug bites. I think I won, with 40-something,鈥� Hamilton laughs.

For Hamilton and the Bruins, the trip accomplished two things: The team grew closer together and the Bruins learned in a tangible, hands-on way what 鈥淢BFO鈥� means.

鈥淲e want all our guys to leave our program as servant-leaders,鈥� says Hamilton, who serves on the Courts for Kids board. 鈥淲e want to debunk the typical societal view of what it means to be a man, which is being macho, showing no emotion, attaining success at a high level, seeking prestige. We want our guys to understand that being a man is about being emotional, having compassion for people, serving, sacrificing, and being impactful in your societies and in your communities.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why this trip was so important,鈥� Hamilton continues. 鈥淚t got us outside our comfort zones and reminded us of the importance of serving others 鈥� of doing something for someone else.鈥�

Hamilton hopes to make a Courts for Kids trip about every three or four years, allowing all players coming through the program to experience it at least once.