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B2 July 11, 2019 The Chronicle Local father uses basketball to put his kids on path to success BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE Tom Lopez is just a hard-working family man looking to put his kids in the best possible posi tion for success. So far, three of his four children have begun their basket- ball careers on the AAU and school level, with one more not too far behind. The three oldest Lo pez siblings play basket- ball with the CPS AAU program, among oth ers. Lopez himself does one-on-one training with his children to give them a leg-up on the competi tion. He feels that bas ketball will keep his kids focused on the right path, instead of focusing on neg ative outside influences. One might think that Lopez himself is an avid basketball player, but that is not the case. He did not even grow up playing bas ketball. It all started with an observation of his old est daughter’s leadership qualities at her elemen tary school field day. The next week, Lopez took her out to Rupert Bell Park to shoot and they have never stopped. Once his oldest daughter caught on to the game, her younger siblings weren’t far behind. “It wasn’t because I played as a youth, it prob ably was because I didn’t play,” Lopez said of the reason he introduced the game to his kids. “My mother always said she wanted to give us things she didn’t have and as a parent, I can see that is the true way of life. “The structure you get from sports, the teamwork and the lack of idle time to get into other things, is what I take from it. Sports Photo by Alphonso Abbot Jr. Jon Lopez, middle, stands with his kids. From left to right are Kaylen, Isa, Javi and Teo. in general just kind of gives them a purpose.” Lopez said his children know that if they do not take care of their business during the week at school and home, they will not be permitted to play in a tour nament that weekend. One of the biggest ben efits for having his children play basketball is they are like a team among them selves, Lopez said. They are always cheering one another on and work to gether to get better at their craft. Lopez routinely works with his kids after practice and weekends to enhance their skills. He began by watching YouTube videos and emulating what he saw on the videos. He also reached out to his friends and former college room- mates, Cory Baker and Mike Russell, for further advice. “To this day, I know I don’t know as much as some of these trainers out here know, but that is why I take them to the CPS Academy and I pay atten tion as well to see what we can do,” he said. “A lot of it is just spending time with my kids in the gym and the repetition and find ing a way to make it fun. “A lot of guys who train kids have played bas ketball their entire lives. I just learned slowly and try to have fun and be consis tent.” Once his younger chil dren got a glimpse of their older sister on the court, it was no doubt they would soon follow suit, said Lo pez. Playing defense and ball handling are the things Lopez likes to focus in on while training with his kids. He says there are a lot of kids who can shoot, but if you can play defense and handle the ball, you will always have a place on any team. “Everyone wants to put the ball in the basket, but if you can handle the ball and play defense, your coach is going to want you on the floor,” Lopez continued. “I work with them on ball handling because I am not a 7-footer, so they will not be very tall when they get older.” Lopez is hoping bas ketball opens up a world of possibilities for his chil dren. He constantly tells them this is “God’s plan” and the sport of basketball will keep them on track. “I don’t talk about them going to the league, I talk about school and how basketball can help them get into college,” he said. “I scrape by trying to figure out how to pay for everything for them, but I think it’s better to go the route we are going so one day they can get a full ride to get their education. “What I want for them ultimately is to have a healthy lifestyle. It’s not about being rich and it’s not about being famous, it’s about having a healthy lifestyle. It took me having a not so healthy lifestyle to realize how important it re ally is.” Lopez also wants his kids to use basketball as a means to give back to their community. He feels it is not only important for his kids to succeed, but also wants them to help others succeed, if possible. It’s encouraging to hear people compliment ing him on his work with his kids, Lopez said. He says he is humbled when he hears complimentary words from others, es pecially from those he doesn’t know. For Lopez, he is proud er of his children’s work ethic, rather than their accomplishments on the court. The fact they go out there every day to give it their all is what he enjoys seeing the most. The icing on the cake is that all his kids made straight As dur ing the last quarter of the school year. “I am proud of them for trusting a process and going through with it,” he said about his kids. “It’s not so much about being the best, it’s how dedicated are you and that’s what makes me proud. Livingstone names new head women’s basketball coach SALISBURY - Liv ingstone College an nounced Friday a new addition to the Blue Bear athletics family. Athletic Director Lamonte Massie-Sampson announced during a press conference on the Salis bury campus that Chiante Wester was the new head women’s basketball coach. Wester comes to Blue Bear country after serving as assistant women’s bas ketball coach for the Vir ginia State University Tro jans since August 2006. She joined Virginia State University after reuniting with former Shaw Univer sity Assistant Coach James Hill, Jr. During her tenure at Virginia State, Wester participated in five regu lar-season division cham pionships in the CIAA Conference, four NCAA appearances and a CIAA Championship as VSU captured more than 200- plus wins. Wester has mentored several all-conference players, league players of the year, first-ever VSU HBCU/CIAA players of the year and academic A11- Americans. She worked primar ily with the guards in her role at Virginia State and assisted Hill in all facets of player development, on-the-court coaching and individual skill instruction, as well as recruitment. Her administrative responsibil ities consisted of coordi nating and directing com munity relations, outreach projects, and managing and organizing team man agers. She also oversaw the academic study hall and academic progress of the student-athletes within women’s basketball. In 2013, Wester was selected to attend the NCAA Black Coaches and Administrators Achiev ing Coaching Excellence (ACE) Program. In 2008, she attended the NCAA Women’s Coaches Acad emy. “We strongly believe this is not only a next-level move for Coach Wester, but for our women’s bas ketball team,” said Mass ie-Sampson. “She is ready and eager to excel as a head coach and deliver her own coaching style to our players.” “This is a new day. I am truly excited to be here and bring back a winning tradition to the Blue Bear country ... There is a lot of talent here, and I plan to bring the best out of each member of this team,” Wester said. Born in Havana, Flor ida, Wester was a stand out high school player at Havana Northside High School under the legend ary coach Rosa Hughes- Browning. She played col legiately for two seasons at North Florida, earn ing Panhandle 2nd Team Conference honors both years. She then transferred to Shaw University for the 2000-2004 seasons, where she received sev eral awards including out standing player, outstand ing service award, athletic trainer senior award, most improved basketball play er and outstanding student honoree. She graduated cum Have a Story Idea? Let Us Know News@wschronicle. com Submitted photo Athletic Director Lamonte Massie-Sampson with new women’s basketball coach Chainte Wester laude from Shaw Univer sity in 2003, earning her bachelor’s degree in al lied health and recreation. In 2010, she received a master’s degree in sports management from Virginia State University. “We have confidence that Coach Wester was the best choice to lead our women’s basketball team,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “Her leadership capabili ties and athletic prowess are evident and we look forward to her cultivating a spirit of excellence among our student-athletes on and off the court.” Livingstone College, affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, is a private, his torically black institution located in Salisbury, N.C., and is secured by a strong commitment to qual ity instruction. Through a Christian-based environ ment suitable for learn ing, it provides excellent liberal arts and religious education programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds designed to Failure From page Bl make sports safer, but let’s not take away some of the crucial benefits that sports give a child. I think kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. We don’t need to celebrate failure the same way we do victory; I think we should celebrate effort more instead. I don’t think a kid will quit a sport just because they did not receive a trophy or certifi- develop their potential for leadership and service to a global community. For more information, visit www.livingstone.edu. cate. Let’s start preparing our kids for the real world and let them know that failure is going to hap pen. This fantasy world where everyone wins does not exist when they be come adults. We should not put them in a situation that causes them to have negative outbursts because they don’t know what to do when adversity comes; instead let them know that they must work harder to come out on top.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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