This article was from the front page of their paper (Zanesville) It's not really totally about basketball, but it's always nice to see our players making the effort to reach out to youth about staying in school, getting a good education and reaching your dreams.
Mods feel free to move it if this should be in the lounge (like you would need my permission anyway
)
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS01/505260305/1002
Mods feel free to move it if this should be in the lounge (like you would need my permission anyway
)http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS01/505260305/1002
Kevin Martin to students: Take school seriously
By SAM BLACKBURN
Sports Writer
Kevin Martin has a laugh with Grover Cleveland Middle School principal Les Richards after being presented with a Grover Cleveland t-shirt, which, while large, was still too small for the 6-foot 7-inch NBA player. ADVERTISEMENT
ZANESVILLE - Kevin Martin bleeds blue, and it was no more evident than at Grover Cleveland Middle School on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Zanesville native and former first-round draft pick of the NBA's Sacramento Kings stopped by his old stomping grounds to speak to students in the new gymnasium. Currently living in Sacramento, where he recently built a house, he ventured back to his hometown for a few weeks after his season ended in late April.
Students in grades 5 to 8 at Grover Cleveland attended the one-hour session where Martin gave a speech and welcomed questions from teachers and students. He was joined by longtime friends Brody Beauford and T.J. Anderson, along with Tedd Murphy, one of the boys' basketball coaches at the middle school.
Martin talked a little about basketball, of course, given his expertise in the area. But mostly, he spoke of the importance of education and developing a work ethic at a young age.
"I just wanted to give something back," Martin said. "This is where I am from. For the fifth- and sixth-graders, they're getting ready to start junior high next year and they need someone to let them know how important it is to do things right, and to try and get good grades. I wouldn't be where I am today if my parents didn't stay on me about doing good in school."
Martin spoke for an hour to the fifth- and sixth-graders, while the seventh- and eighth-graders listened mostly to a question-and-answer session with Murphy, a longtime Zanesville City Schools and Grover Cleveland supporter.
The younger students were especially attentive, Murphy said.
"They were pretty wide-eyed. They obviously knew who he was," Murphy said. "The kids were well-behaved and asked good questions. He grew up two streets down from here, so he's one of them. He's proof that if you do the right things you can accomplish a lot."
"I talked a lot about carrying yourself, how a lot of people will judge you by the way you act and the way you look," Martin said. "You can't go to a job interview wearing a wife-beater (tank top). You have to present yourself in a positive way."
Upon the ending of his speech, Martin also presented two passes each to Scott Aronhalt's summer basketball camp at Zanesville High School and Dr. Jim Burson's Roundball Camp at Muskingum College to students who could answer questions correctly. Among them were questions in reference to his high school number (32), his age (22), the starting point guard for the Kings (Mike Bibby) and his season-high scoring total during his rookie year (17 points).
But his message was clear: Take school seriously.
"There are a lot of guys out there who are better basketball players than I am, but they never got the chance to show it because they never had the grades (to go to college)," Martin said. "You have to get at least a 17 or 18 on your ACT and have a decent grade point average just to get into school. And basketball isn't always going to be there. You need that education to have something to fall back on."
That said, Martin admitted that he hasn't finished his courses at Western Carolina University to obtain his degree.
"But I'm only a year away," Martin said. "I'll be going to back to finish it up."
Grover Cleveland Principal Les Richards said he knew Martin's messages were genuine. "A lot of kids think that just because they go to school here, that no matter what, they won't be able to accomplish the things they want to do in life," Richards said. "But (Martin) is living proof that you can."
By SAM BLACKBURN
Sports Writer
CHRIS CROOK/Times Recorder
Kevin Martin has a laugh with Grover Cleveland Middle School principal Les Richards after being presented with a Grover Cleveland t-shirt, which, while large, was still too small for the 6-foot 7-inch NBA player. ADVERTISEMENT
ZANESVILLE - Kevin Martin bleeds blue, and it was no more evident than at Grover Cleveland Middle School on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Zanesville native and former first-round draft pick of the NBA's Sacramento Kings stopped by his old stomping grounds to speak to students in the new gymnasium. Currently living in Sacramento, where he recently built a house, he ventured back to his hometown for a few weeks after his season ended in late April.
Students in grades 5 to 8 at Grover Cleveland attended the one-hour session where Martin gave a speech and welcomed questions from teachers and students. He was joined by longtime friends Brody Beauford and T.J. Anderson, along with Tedd Murphy, one of the boys' basketball coaches at the middle school.
Martin talked a little about basketball, of course, given his expertise in the area. But mostly, he spoke of the importance of education and developing a work ethic at a young age.
"I just wanted to give something back," Martin said. "This is where I am from. For the fifth- and sixth-graders, they're getting ready to start junior high next year and they need someone to let them know how important it is to do things right, and to try and get good grades. I wouldn't be where I am today if my parents didn't stay on me about doing good in school."
Martin spoke for an hour to the fifth- and sixth-graders, while the seventh- and eighth-graders listened mostly to a question-and-answer session with Murphy, a longtime Zanesville City Schools and Grover Cleveland supporter.
The younger students were especially attentive, Murphy said.
"They were pretty wide-eyed. They obviously knew who he was," Murphy said. "The kids were well-behaved and asked good questions. He grew up two streets down from here, so he's one of them. He's proof that if you do the right things you can accomplish a lot."
"I talked a lot about carrying yourself, how a lot of people will judge you by the way you act and the way you look," Martin said. "You can't go to a job interview wearing a wife-beater (tank top). You have to present yourself in a positive way."
Upon the ending of his speech, Martin also presented two passes each to Scott Aronhalt's summer basketball camp at Zanesville High School and Dr. Jim Burson's Roundball Camp at Muskingum College to students who could answer questions correctly. Among them were questions in reference to his high school number (32), his age (22), the starting point guard for the Kings (Mike Bibby) and his season-high scoring total during his rookie year (17 points).
But his message was clear: Take school seriously.
"There are a lot of guys out there who are better basketball players than I am, but they never got the chance to show it because they never had the grades (to go to college)," Martin said. "You have to get at least a 17 or 18 on your ACT and have a decent grade point average just to get into school. And basketball isn't always going to be there. You need that education to have something to fall back on."
That said, Martin admitted that he hasn't finished his courses at Western Carolina University to obtain his degree.
"But I'm only a year away," Martin said. "I'll be going to back to finish it up."
Grover Cleveland Principal Les Richards said he knew Martin's messages were genuine. "A lot of kids think that just because they go to school here, that no matter what, they won't be able to accomplish the things they want to do in life," Richards said. "But (Martin) is living proof that you can."
