Hoops lesson on a tough home court

William Geoghegan
Posted 9/18/14

For a moment, as the basketballs bounced, the players listened and the coaches gave pointers, an afternoon at the Rhode Island Training School looked like a basketball camp at any other school. …

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Hoops lesson on a tough home court

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For a moment, as the basketballs bounced, the players listened and the coaches gave pointers, an afternoon at the Rhode Island Training School looked like a basketball camp at any other school.

It was a sign of a small victory in a place that’s not like other schools, where victories don’t come easy.

On Sept. 4, Bryant University men’s basketball coaches Tim O’Shea, Al Skinner and Frank “Happy” Dobbs spoke to students at the Rhode Island Training School, a secure residential facility where youth under the age of 19 are placed by order of family court.

The school’s leadership regularly brings in guest speakers and creates innovative programs for its students, from art to a rugby team. A message delivered via basketball, though, had special impact.

“It’s a connection,” said Superintendent Joe Cardin. “You could go down to the courts right now, and they’d all be playing.”

The visit was coordinated by Cardin and former CCRI head coach Vin Cullen. Cardin played basketball for Cullen at CCRI. When Cullen approached the Bryant staff about coming in, they embraced the opportunity.

“My hope is that we can reach one or two guys,” said Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea. “That’s a success.”

Standing in front of the school’s population, at mid-court in the gym, the Bryant trio set about doing that.

O’Shea focused his message on education – and on hope. He said he worked at a prison when he was in college and was always struck by the hopelessness of the place. The school, he told them, while similar, was not like that.

“It was bleak,” he told the crowd. “But you still have a shot. You can get a fresh start.”

Education was the next step, O’Shea said.

“That’s the one way to turn your life around,” he said.

Skinner, the former URI and Boston College head coach, is now the associate head coach under O’Shea. A former NBA player, he spoke of the pitfalls that he managed to avoid on his way to success.

“I fully understand the environment you’re coming from and the situations you’re dealing with,” Skinner said. “I had a childhood friend in a facility like this, watching me play basketball on TV. He was as good as I was, but I chose not to do some of the things he chose to do. He should have been where I was, and that was incredibly sad for me.”

Skinner gave way to Dobbs, the former head man at Brown University, whose smile and personality make it easy to understand why he earned the nickname “Happy.”

Dobbs emphasized the importance of listening to success in life.

“You don’t have to be the smartest person in the world,” he said. “You just have to listen, and that’s up to you.”

To illustrate his point, Dobbs had the entire gym play a game of Simon Says. In a few minutes, he’d gotten everybody out of the game – but he’d also gotten their attention.

“His message was listening and he used a game to illustrate it,” Cardin said. “For him to get all those kids to participate and listen, it shows you that they will connect. He brought it full-circle with the listening. I’m standing there saying, ‘Hey, this is really good.’”

Dobbs then offered some basketball tips, as a few of the students took layups and jump shots.

“We’re so humbled and appreciative that these guys came here to share their message,” Cardin said.

As the coaches departed, they walked through hallways overlooking outdoor basketball courts. The same kids they’d talked to were already outside, playing pick-up games.

They didn’t know if their message resonated, but basketball was a pretty good place to start.

“It’s one thing to come in and scream at a kid, to tear him down,” Cardin said. “It’s another thing to build him up. This was great for us.”

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