Brockton middle schooler wins knockout game against D1 basketball player
The knockout game followed an Oct. 3 assembly at Brockton’s South Middle School about the importance of education.
The assembly was part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ “Stay In To Win” program.Stonehill College players spoke to middle school students about the importance of education for aspiring athletes.
BROCKTON — The eighth grade class of South Middle School erupted into cheers of “Jayden!”
Seated on the bleachers of the school gymnasium, they watched 13-year-old Jayden Sanchez go head to head with a Division 1 player from Stonehill College’s in a game of knockout. They were the last two left.
Jayden then scored four, three-point shots in a row, beating 6-foot, 8-inch forward Pearse McGuinn.
“I was not expecting to win, for real,” Jayden told The Enterprise after, a huge smile on his face.
The knockout game capped off an assembly led by five players and two assistant coaches from Stonehill College’s basketball team on Oct. 3. They’ve been coming to South for the past four years as part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Stay In To Win program, according to Principal Lisa Thomas.
Spotlighting how education fits into being a pro athlete
During the assembly, the players emphasized the importance of pursuing their education as student athletes answered many enthusiastic questions from the audience. The athletes were from all over including Missouri, Canada, even Finland.
Principal Thomas told The Enterprise the program is a good fit for South Middle School.
“A lot of our students aspire to be pro athletes, especially basketball players,” she said. “And so, I think a lot of them don’t know sometimes what it entails, as far as education, and the importance of your education in middle school, high school and beyond.”
“That’s what we’re here for, to help them with that bigger picture, and to give them those role models,” she added.
Leading an assembly that once inspired him
McGuinn, the forward who was beaten by Jayden, told The Enterprise that, when he was a kid, he got a lot out of assemblies like the one he helped lead at South.
“I was in their shoes once, too, and, any assembly, especially one where older kids – especially any athletes – came out, it was amazing, … just to see what they had to say,” he said.
People like that were heroes to him. “I used to want to be them,” he said.
So he was excited to try to pay forward that inspiration to 8th graders at South. He even seemed OK with the fact that he lost to Jayden.
“The kid that beat me was pretty good,” he said. “He beat me fair and square.”
High standards
Jayden was not expecting to win the game of knockout. Basketball isn’t even his main sport right now – baseball is. He said he only started playing basketball when he was 8 or 9, and started “loving the game” when he watched Kyrie Irving play for the Celtics.
He’d like to become a professional athlete, though he’s not sure which sport yet. He’s got his eye on playing for Duke University.
The assembly’s message about education resonated with Jayden, because he said it’s something his parents emphasize.
In sixth grade, he said he started misbehaving in school. He’s not sure why, but he said his parents quickly got him back on the right path.
These days, he said, “Whenever I’m in class, if I notice myself getting distracted by somebody else, or by something, I’ll always move my seat or something.”
He’s noticed another way his family’s focus on education has paid off. When he was younger, he said he had to practice his handwriting.
“And my handwriting is actually better [than] others’,” he said, “so I thank my parents for that.”
Send education reporter Jacob Posner story ideas or news tips at JPosner@enterprisenews.com