PGC basketball camps are more than basketball. A story!

It’s the unexpected moments that get you.

Those moments that are unplanned, but forever remembered. The ones you couldn’t script — even if you wanted to.

And that’s exactly what this was. A moment where 120 high school basketball players were forever changed by one woman.

Martha.

See, Martha runs one of the dining centers at Arizona State University, and our interaction with her — I won’t soon forget.

I’m Kyle, one of the camp directors at PGC.

And at the end of our first gym session, I brought the players in to give a few final words before heading to dinner.

I shared that I had high hopes for this group.

I shared the importance of leaving environments we entered all week, (cafeteria, classroom, and gym) better than we found them.

Then I shared one final thing.

And it’s a challenge I lead with at every session. I encourage the players to embrace. And typically, some players do it and some don’t.

Here’s what I said:

“We’re about to head to the cafeteria. And in a world where people forget to treat others like humans. Where others forget to say thank you. I challenge you all to learn and use the names of the workers who will help serve us food all week.”

And what happened next was different from any of my previous camp experiences.

20 minutes later, I’m walking through the food line with my plate in hand.

The woman behind the food bar looks up with a big smile, and says, “how are you doing?”

I said, “great.” And then I asked her name. She said, “Martha.”

Then I asked. “Hey I’m curious, when the players came through this line, did any ask your name?”

She immediately blurted out, “YES, every last one of them. I was taken aback by it to be honest.”

I said, “that’s fantastic.” And went on with my meal.

I later told the players how impressed she was and reiterated the power our words can have on people.

The power we have by simply asking someone what their name is, hearing them, and actually using it while saying thank you.

And from then on, the players doubled down on this principle and learned every cafeteria staff member’s name.

A few days later, I had an idea.

I hung back in the cafeteria to ask Martha if she’d be willing to come to our next classroom session and speak to the players and parents (as it was parent night). To let the players know the impact they’ve had on the cafeteria staff and how important it is to continue being kind in a world where kindness is often forgotten.

She said she’d do her best to be there.

A few hours later, I was ending the classroom session, but no Martha in sight.

I was bummed and a bit disappointed. I really wanted her to come.

“Guess she wasn’t able to make it,” I thought.

And just as we were finishing and I was about to send all the players to the gym, my teammate Amara said, “Kyle, hold on.”

“Martha just texted me and said she got held up finishing work. But she sent a voice recording.”

I asked the players if they wanted to hear it, and of course, they yelled “yes.”

So I played it out loud for everyone to hear.

And here’s what it said.

 

Wow. Amazing right?

After it finished, everyone cheered, and one of the players blurted out, “let’s send her a video back.”

So we did.

And we capped it off the next day by taking a picture together and presenting her with a PGC shirt to show her the impact she had on us.

Martha left a lasting impression on all of us. She’s a kind woman with a servant heart and a beautiful smile.

At the end of the day, I think NBA player Jeremy Lin said it best.

“PGC isn’t just a basketball camp. It’s a life camp.”

And he’s exactly right.

The reason I love teaching at PGC is because we care about more than the game.

We care about teaching life. We care about the next generation. We care about helping young people develop their basketball, communication, and leadership skills.

We help them realize they can be more than they ever imagined. We show them what a higher standard looks like and then hold them to that standard.

I’ve led these camps for 5 years. And each time, I remember, it’s those unexpected moments that get you.

Those unscripted moments that teach you more about life than any planned event ever could.

I’m grateful to teach for PGC, and I’m grateful 120 players got to witness how impactful learning someone’s name can be.

That they got to experience far more than just learning how to shoot, pass, and dribble.

Because as anyone who’s finished a sports career knows. At some point, the ball stops bouncing and we have to turn to the next chapter in our life.

And when that time comes, you need to be equipped with more than just the ability to dribble, shoot, and pass.

You need to be a problem solver. A great teammate. An energetic student. A hard worker. And in a world where you can be anything, you need to be kind.

Thanks for reading,

Kyle