Birmingham Underground Basketball

I am so pleased that J.R. is now on a true career path. One of our veteran participants, J.R. is now working full-time for one of the largest and most influential non-profits in Alabama. This is the mission of the CAYF: To help our participants move into the socio-economic mainstream (which typically means a full-time career path with benefits)!
J.R. has charisma, a “Magic Johnson” smile, and leadership skills. I expect that he will do extremely well in his new career. Congratulations, J.R.!

Charles Stewart’s outstanding career at Feather River CC in California has come to an end—with Charles being ranked as one of the top junior college point guards in California! We are currently working to help him find a 4-year school so that he can continue his basketball career and get a bachelor’s degree.
Charles is a gifted basketball player, a natural point guard, and is blessed with leadership skills. Anyone out there listening?

Jeremy Banks’ career at Ouachita Baptist University is over—and everything ended on a positive note! Jeremy experienced a great Senior Night when six family members were able to make the trip to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. In the next game (their final game), they defeated highly-ranked Arkansas Tech (broke a 16-game winning streak) on the road. Head coach Mark Price and assistant coach Sean Rutigliano have repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Jeremy for helping them turn around that program in 2 short years.

Jeremy plans to return to Birmingham to work on two things: 1) Re-establishing his home repair/remodeling business (he’s a born entrepreneur), and 2) Attending the Birmingham School of Law. He is a remarkable young man.

Maurice has participated in our program for several years. Great young man. Big smile. Funny guy. Plays hard. Talks a little trash, but not too much!

Basketball Rules!

In addition to working full-time, Maurice makes very good grades while attending a local community college part-time. However, until mid-2010, he was not on a career path. In June, he walked in with a big smile on his face and notified me that he’d found a job with the local water works company. There was one caveat, however: He would have to endure a 6-month training and probationary period.

Just before Christmas, he made it! He’s now a full-time employee with a big hourly raise and benefits. This organization is loaded with life-long employees, so this is a big step for Maurice. All we want for our guys is for them to become part of the socio-economic mainstream–and he’s done it…

I couldn’t be prouder of him if he were my own son. Way to go, Maurice! We’re all proud of you and excited for your future!

In the spring of 2003 Jamal, a big, strong, athletic 17-year-old high school senior, showed up for Underground Basketball. That summer he was signed by a community college about an hour outside of Birmingham. Everything went fine that first year, but the coach resigned the next spring–and the incoming coach basically “fired” the current players so he could bring in his own group (another post for another day: exploitation @ all levels).

We couldn’t come up with any other options for Jamal; in spite of his disappointment he went back to the same school and graduated. He then transferred to the University of South Alabama, walked on to the basketball team his senior year, and graduated with a degree in exercise science. Through all those years, he stayed close to our program by playing with us every summer and by staying in touch with me by phone.

Jamal has been back in town, living at home, working, and playing with us since last summer. However, until recently, he’d not exactly been pursuing a career path (which is our goal for every participant). I’d become a little frustrated with this and I called him to express that frustration. When he answered the phone, he said “Hey coach, I’m over here with my sister in Atlanta researching the job market on the internet.”" My sermon/lecture was never delivered…

Not long after, we met to discuss his career goals and how he might find his way into that magical career path. Jamal had gained sufficient knowledge and wisdom to know that he needed to find an entry-level job in his field and then pursue a higher-level degree or certification.

Two weeks ago he informed me that he’d been hired by a local sports medicine clinic to work as a physical therapy assistant. Made my day. First step to a career path and self-sufficiency. This is what we want for our guys. We want to them to have good lives and become lifelong contributors to the economy. We want them to be part of the socio-economic mainstream.

I’m very proud of Jamal. I’m proud of his perseverance. It’s been my pleasure to watch him grow over the past 6 years. God bless basketball, the magnet which brought Jamal and me together!

Daniel is a a very large man (about 6’4″, 290), but when he first came to Underground Basketball last summer, we couldn’t believe how athletic he is. Daniel has quick feet, great hands, exceptional skills, and a very high basketball IQ.

Daniel quickly demonstrated his faith in our program by showing up regularly, playing hard, being a leader, and complying with every request we made of him. As I got to know him over a period of months, I learned several important things about him. Daniel:

• Is highly ambitious.
• Possesses great personal values.
• Is extremely bright.
• Has a great work ethic.
• Has a great technical mind. Do you hear what I’m saying? He has a great technical mind–one that no organization had ever tapped into.

Daniel is now working full-time with the company I co-founded, TechKnowledge Birmingham, as our Application Analyst. He is a blessing to us. In addition to his exceptional analytical mind, he has countless other skills. Daniel has an insatiable appetite to learn. When he is given an assignment, he always goes beyond our expectations.

Daniel and I would have never crossed paths without basketball. I am blessed that he’s come into my life–and I expect us to be life-long friends. I also anticipate that Daniel will be a tremendous leader in the Birmingham business/technical community for many years.

Business, political, and community leaders: Basketball is our magnet; what’s yours?

When Jeremy first showed up at our Underground Basketball program, he was just another young man with a somewhat funky jump shot. We quickly realized, however, that he was a very good basketball player and an exceptional athlete. We eventually realized that he’s an exceptional person.

Our program, however, is a process–and we’ve learned so much about Jeremy since we met him. He is an intellectual who has an insatiable desire to learn. He’s hilarious–a natural entertainer. As a matter of fact, after talking to the coaches who eventually signed him out of our program, I think he did all the entertaining on his recruiting trip!

As the layers of Jeremy were peeled back, I was astonished to learn that he had his own contracting business which does painting, remodeling, and general home repairs. He’s a salesman, too; he understands how to go out and find the business. I believe that he could make a fortune in that field eventually.

Here’s a quick synopsis of Jeremy’s process:

• Played at a local high school.
• Signed and played for a community college in south Alabama.
• Signed with a Division II school in Colorado.
• Tore his Achilles tendon, had surgery, rehabbed, finished the year out–and then dropped out and came home.
• He showed up at Underground Basketball.
• We eventually connected him with the staff of a Division II school in Arkansas. They came to see him, loved what they saw, and signed him.
• Jeremy had a great junior year last year, will return in August for an even better senior year, and will graduate in the spring with a business degree.

Here’s the cool, amazing thing. In addition to his contracting business, guess what Jeremy’s doing this summer? Preparing to take the LSAT!

Jeremy is now one of my favorite people and will be my life-long friend. I can’t wait for the next chapter of his life!

Untapped human capital is everywhere. Basketball is our magnet; what’s yours?

We held our first meeting with our new board yesterday. What a great experience! Such a diverse group: ministers, HR folks, account executives, non-profit experts, lawyers, bankers–and three of our participants.

I am humbled and impressed by the levels of passion and commitment in that meeting. The comments of our players were personally moving and meaningful to me. We’ve been operating quietly, but successfully, for six years. Yesterday, however, symbolized a new beginning for us–a chance to grow into a much more mature and comprehensive organization.

To all of you attended yesterday: Thank you. I was blessed by your presence.

Last night was a great session. We had 11 players–and the level of play was extremely high. Often, players tend to start making excuses and fussing at each other when they are tired. None of that last night: You could feel the passion and competitive spirit from start to finish!

Thanks to Charles Stewart for bringing three new players with him!

With a “re-constituted” board of directors and this brand-new site, we’re coming out of the underground! Many thanks to one of our participants, Daniel Bishop, for his work in helping us launch undergroundbasketball.com

Much more to come…