VERITAS SPORTS ACADEMY BASKETBALL TEAM INVITED TO 13TH ANNUAL BASKETBALL ACADEMY IN BALTIMORE, MD
The Veritas Sports Academy basketball team has been invited to participate in the 13th annual Basketball Academy in Baltimore, MD, January 15-17, 2009. The goal of the Basketball Academy is to encourage young people through sports, education, mentoring and developmental programs.
In addition to playing two games against the likes of Dunbar High School out of Maryland, the Warriors will venture out into the Baltimore community and visit local hospitals and take in the local culture. “The program is not just about playing basketball†says Veritas head coach Keith Gatlin, “but about enriching the lives of the athletes and expanding their horizons beyond basketball.â€
The program was started in 1995 under former University of Maryland coach Bob Wade. Wade was disgruntled with student/athletes being taken advantage of by tournaments without an academic component and sought to create a program that honored the student/athlete for accomplishments both off and on the basketball courts. The Academy is made possible by a collaborative partnership between the Baltimore City Public School System, the 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc., and the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma theta Sorority, Inc.
The Academy has produced MVPs to the likes of former Connecticut guard and Memphis Grizzlie player Rudy Gay and George Washington University’s Shanta Rogers who is now playing in Europe. Student/athletes from each school will attend workshops that will assist in SAT preparation, the college admissions process, health and substance abuse, banking and other life-skill seminars.
For more information on Veritas Sports Academy visit their website at www.veritassportsacademy.org or contact Jim Beck, Sports Information Director at jbeck@veritassportsacademy.org.