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Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Faith Bynum, Founder and Principal at Faith Bynum, CPA, PC, an accounting firm focused on small business accounting, non-profit accounting and tax advice. Faith is a proud graduate of North Carolina Central University's business school, and spent the first ten years of her career in non-profit accounting. Faith is an MBA and CPA. A Durham native, Faith has a passion for community and education. CONVERSATION SUMMARY
About Faith's firm, Faith Bynum, CPA, PC Faith Bynum, CPA, PC employs 8 employees, with a 9th employee starting September 1st. I finally bet on myself. “When you have a purpose, people tend to gravitate toward it, sometimes earlier than you do.” She worked in a non-profit accounting for ten years. Her supervisor Angela was instrumental in her entrepreneurship journey. Faith became a licensed CPA in 2012. Angela told Faith that when Faith’s tenure was done, Angela told Faith that she saw Faith going out on her own. Support from supervisors and her network that developed over her years at a nonprofit. Had a good foundation of support, that was built, watered and nurtured. When the time came that support system helped her bring plans into action. Upbringing around business Faith’s mother was a natural accountant that tended to the business operations of her father’s floor covering business for many years. She was drawn to how numbers are definite - a start and a finish. Faith taught herself short-hand on the calculator with grocery receipts as a child. Her father had five strokes when Faith was 15 and her father was 50. “I saw how if a business is built solely around a business owner, how that can be detrimental if you don’t have a team around you.” “I learned it was important to have a good accountant.” The accountant her father’s business used eventually got in big trouble with the IRS. Setting sights on business Faith’s first major at North Carolina Central was Spanish. In college, she started working for a car dealership - Michael Jordan Nissan, where she started as a receptionist and then moved into the cashier’s department. She remembers the CFO at the time who left the Wall Street Journal from Faith to read. She bought “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” when she was 19, and that solidified accounting for her, but she did not know what business was. A lot of accounting majors ended up going to law school. A lot of peers said, “forget this.” Accounting is not an easy major. Internship opportunities in early 2000’s Faith’s experience in seeking internships at NCCU was not diverse. Faith was at NCCU from 1998 to 2004. NCCU had a very small share of the resources needed to offer post-graduate and internship opportunities. In her junior year, she had an internship at the Department of Revenue. Big accounting firms didn’t offer many opportunities at NCCU, and she hopes that it has changed since then. HBCU’s have top notch talent, especially in the business schools. “There is a short-sightedness of businesses trying to make their team more diverse. There needs to be a more intentional relationships, and not just “we need to employ more black kids. There are pots of gold sprinkled all over HBCU’s.” Companies are missing out. This was before social media. “Central allowed for the professors to be at arms reach.” Faith would talk to her professors in between classes. She asked them about life and career, which helped her land. Landing in non-profit accounting One thing NCCU taught her was the power of networking. Because she did not have extensive experience and internship opportunities, she was overlooked. There was a man at Michael Jordan Nissan who had a sorority sister looking for a Staff Accountant for a non-profit. He asked that Faith send her resume in, and she did, and that led to her first role after school. She graduated on May 1, and started May 3 for that non-profit. She stayed there for 10 years. Where did you gain the confidence to step out as an entrepreneur? Faith emphasized the power of networking and social media. From 2010 to 2012, she chronicled her journey of passing the CPA exam on Facebook. She found a large group of support and gaining followers. People felt connected to her journey. This is when she realized how important people are in building a small business. After she passed the exam, many of these people reached out to her - “Hey Faith, can you do my taxes.” From 2012 to 2014 she was running the business on the side. The passion for entrepreneurship was growing so strong; however, Faith was a single mom who needed benefits and a secured paycheck. She was afraid. She was laid off in 2014, she grieved getting laid off, but her book-keeping/tax clients gave her more work. She hung her shingle in January 2015 and didn’t look back. She remembers her father saying, “you did not get your CPA license to sit on it.” Biggest challenge in entrepreneurship There is an element of mystique. Business school doesn't teach you entrepreneurship when she was in school. “You have to have an emotional tenacity that can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t have it, you better learn to build it - quick, fast, in a hurry.” Managing the growth, the correlation of supply and demand, was more so challenging in the beginning years. At first, you are just happy and star-struck that people want to work for you and with you. Faith learned to understand how to hire and assess what true businesses needs are, and clarify what was needed out of each team member. Instead of hiring to fit the employees needs, she had to transition the thought to what the business needs. “You have to have a solid administrative foundation. You have to have a solid support team. You have to understand all of the systems you use.” “You have to understand what your business is telling you. Listen to your business, your business is talking to you and saying a whole lot of stuff loud and clear.” Entrepreneurship forced her to become a risk-taker. “You have to bet on yourself. You have to bet on your business in moments in which other people will not confirm that.” Pitfalls of small businesses You are operating as a business and need to build infrastructure. Many businesses get caught up in only what the mission is, or what they are in business for. Used an analogy about feeding the hungry - you can’t just talk all day about the programmatic mission. You need administrative tasks to support the mission. Understanding that your business has to support your mission. You have to be able to have foundational business operations to sustain your mission. You have to be able to look six months ahead while still dealing with issues of today. “Get out of your own way, allow your business or non-profit to do what it’s supposed to do.” Sometimes, business owners are stuck - “no one will do it better than me” mentality. She tells people she is only good at 3 things, but it takes 52 things to run a business. The future for Faith Bynum, CPA, PC Faith hopes that she eventually has a commercial space, owning real estate. Faith would also like to be a full-time visionary for Faith Bynum, CPA, PC and focus on other ventures. She is empowered by seeing her staff grow. She thinks the firm can become more regionalized, be able to touch people all over the Southeast by enhancing the virtual experience. Faith loves business - she wants to build it to where it is functioning, and the staff has it covered. She is focused on stretching her brand and being as creative as possible with content.
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Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Ralston Turner, Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch. Ralston played college basketball two years at Louisiana State University before transferring and playing his final two years at North Carolina State University. After going undrafted, Ralston played for two years in the NBA G League and is now three years in to his post-basketball career as a Financial Advisor. Ralston also coaches JV basketball at his former high school, Muscle Shoals High School, in Alabama.
CONVERSATION SUMMARY
Childhood love for basketball In his earliest memories, he only remembers basketball. At three years old, he remembers his father asking to see his crossover. His father was a Lakers fan and passed that along to him. He always loved to play basketball. If you dumped a bucket of balls in front of him as a child, he would grab the basketball every time. His mom used to try and keep him from playing in the Alabama heat to no avail. When Ralston was 10 years old, his dad thought he needed more competition and got him on the AAU circuit. He played for the North Alabama Crusaders in Huntsville, Alabama and in the first game of AAU Nationals, he went up against the Atlanta Celtics, a team with a reputation of top teams. Ralston had 24 points. “Ok, I could do this. It proved to me that I belonged.” When he got to high school, he really began taking working out more seriously. “I’m a big believer in when you are young, you need to have fun. Burnout is a real thing and you have your entire life to make it a job. But my curiosity just kept increasing and increasing and increasing.” He began asking more questions and staying in the gym longer. Impact of his parents Ralston was blessed to have both parents in the household to have him with decisions. When Ralston was a freshmen, 15 years old, he played for the Alabama Challenge. He got moved up to the 17-under team and they played on the Nike circuit. In his first game at the Peach Jam, a prolific AAU tournament, he got in the game and hit 5-6 three pointers quickly. All of the sudden, his life changed. Recruiting picked up and his phone didn’t start ringing. His parents were great through that process. His mom is protective, and you couldn’t get anything past her. His parents came with him on nearly all of his college visits that helped him cross his T’s and dot his I’s. Education is very important. His mom is an educator at Muscle Shoals High School and her mother was as well. When he visited his grandmother, he would be reading and writing. The realities of preparing for life after basketball At 16, he was looking at high school rankings for the top players in the country, and he looked back at a few years classes before him and reading all of the names of the players, many of whom are not still playing basketball. "This is real. You need to make sure you have a plan.” Later that year, as a sophomore attending the LeBron James Skills Academy with the top 100 players in the country, a Director at the camp pointed out 6-8 players to stand up, and said that the reality is that only 6-8 of the 100 will make it to the NBA. That’s the reality. "Ball is important but you need to be prepared for the realities." When you are young, people tell you you need to go around and shake hands with people. He actually did it - introduced himself, shook hands, because if anything, one day he might need that person. Early studies in college Ralston initially was going to major in kinesiology when he joined LSU - human movement science. He was intrigued by being a Physical Therapist because he had been rehabbed. He then pivoted to sports management and expected to be in sports management and administration, as he had hopes to become an Athletic Director at a large Division I school. Transitioning from LSU to NCSU When he was looking to transfer, his coach at LSU gave him the ability to visit other schools but come back to LSU if he didn't find a better fit. His goals were to find a situation where he can make the NCAA Tournament, play with other great players, get an education and enjoy the experience. This was before the NCAA Transfer Portal, so he went to the LSU Compliance Office and learned he could not transfer within the SEC. NC State was on the top of his mind as he has known Coach Mark Gottfried since he was 14, as Coach Gottfried coached at Alabama and Ralston played AAU with his son. He visited NC State and immediately felt it was a great fit. He left Raleigh on Sunday and called Coach Gottfried the next day to join the Pack. Experience at NC State Not only was NC State better for him from a basketball sense, it was valuable off the court as well. The support in the ACC for basketball. "The way people feel in the Triangle about basketball is how they feel about football down here (SEC country)." They made it to the NCAA Tournament twice, played with great players, but the major thing he gives credit to NC State was preparing off the court. Raleigh is a great city - it is progressive, growing and a lot of opportunities are coming there. Players don't typically account for this when making a college decision. He met a lot of successful people. Playing professionally In Spring 2015, he was in ACC play and was still zoned in on basketball. "This is it, so leave it all out there and worry about the rest later." They lost in the NCAA Tournament and it was a whirlwind after. He played in the College All-Star game at the NCAA Final Four, played in the Portsmouth Invitational for exceptional seniors, selected an agent, and worked out for the Hornets, Pistons, and Clippers. He ultimately didn't get drafted but got picked up by the Hornets for the NBA Summer League. "There's some power in going undrafted because you have a whole bunch of choices. No one really owns your rights." He went oversees to play for BC Vita in the VTB League, one of the strongest leagues in Europe. This was BC Vita's first year in the league so the organization had a lower budget and needed young, unproven players to compete. Unfortunately, BC Vita struggled with corporate sponsors, and Ralston stopped getting paid early on, so he returned to America. He landed in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the NBA G League. After one season in Grand Rapids, he joined the Greensboro Swarm (the Charlotte Hornets NBA G League affiliate), and loved being back close to the Triangle. Transitioning in to business Going in to his rookie year, he knew he could get hurt tomorrow. Ralston admired Kobe Bryant, not only on the court. Kobe once said that players should think about what your other interests outside of basketball are to apply yourself after your playing days. He took this to heart. After his second year in the G League, he was expecting to continue to play basketball. He was seeking internships to get experience on his resume. He did not want his resume to be "basketball, basketball, basketball." He was trying to get experience to see what he liked and didn't like within business. Someone he knew since high school worked at Merrill Lynch and they got together to network. This individual asked him if he'd ever thought about being a Financial Advisor and the rest was history. It was never his dream to be a Financial Advisor, but he believes there is a higher power at work who has a plan. Experience in financial advising He enjoys financial advising because it allows him to educate and empower. Ralston feels like the black community and other underserved and underappreciated communities are not empowered financially. Years before he started in financial advising, he did not understand the stock market. In his last year of college they went to the New York Stock Exchange and his mind was blown. Then, the next year when he was in NBA Summer League, at a Players Association meeting, they had someone speak about Financial Advising and this former player speaking shared that every player needs to understand their own personal finances to avoid the "sharks in the water." As he got in the business, you can learn it, but not without time invested. "I felt like I needed to educate. I try to take the things I learn and pass it on. Helping people have a baseline knowledge - you don't need to be a guru, what you really need to know is how to be financially smart. How to save money and make a budget. How to make your money grow. What's credit? How does it work for you? All these basics - things I didn't learn when I was young to teach me these baseline financial things. Education and knowledge is power and I hope to give that to the next generation." Staying connected to basketball Ralston is the Junior Varsity coach at Muscle Shoals High Schools, where he went to school. He also gives skill lessons. Working with the youth to hone in on their skills and give a baseline of fundamental work to learn the game. "You get kids that have these bad habits and they are hard to break. It's not their fault, but they came to you like that." "I was always a believer that you have to respect the game. If you respect the game, the game will reward you." Expected NBA Champion Lakers, he has faith in LeBron and AD until they give him a reason not to, but the Clippers make him nervous. Rockets as a dark horse. Last week, The Hoop Bus came through Raleigh, North Carolina to continue to highlight social injustices on its nationwide bus tour connecting the basketball community. The event was co-coordinated by Wade Harris and Zo "Zobeone Knobe" Baxter. Harris owns the Raleigh Firebirds, a professional basketball team in Raleigh that competes in the TBL. Zobeone, a 3x3 basketball player and coach, is founder of Nomad Hoops. The event was supported by several non-profit organizations, in the area, including Alley Oop Hoops, Building Foundations and Compass Youth Center. In partnership with Vaco, a talent solutions firm, Alley Oop Hoops donated four laptops to the event that were provided to children attending the event to support virtual learning. The event was a reminder that the game of basketball brings together a diverse community, and you can’t love the game of the basketball without loving the communities that embrace, teach, learn and appreciate the game. The event brought out many special guests including:
 The “Drive & Kick” schedule is set for September!
We are excited to share the stories of these wonderful leaders in the community.
Conversations will be LIVE on Instagram Live on Tuesday nights at 8pm. We hope you will join us! Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Umar Muhammad, Professor of Sports Management at St. Augustine's University, Founder/Consultant at USports Consulting, and Founder of the Bull City Legacy, a semi-pro basketball team that competed in the Tobacco Road Basketball League.
CONVERSATION SUMMARY
Why sports? Umar loves the interaction between people and sports, and how sports impacts the community. Though he is not a parent of an athlete, he has enjoyed seeing the interaction between parents and their children as he has led camps and clinics. His goal is to build dynamic sports in the community. Sports as a part of Umar’s upbringing Umar’s first interaction with sports was through his Umar’s father, who played and loved the game of basketball. Umar’s father played in Durham at Hillside High School in the same backcourt as John Lucas. Though Umar’s first sport was soccer, he stuck with basketball longer. He comes from a family that engaged the community in different ways - both grandfathers, father and brother are involved in the church. Though Umar never saw himself as a figure in the church, he did know that he would impact the community through sports. Sports as a profession Umar started seeing sports as a business opportunity in high school. He attended Fork Union Military Academy, the same high school as Eddie George and Vinny Testaverde, and the school put an emphasis on sports. His interest was sparked on facilities and fields named after people, how does the facility look this nice? Sponsorships, donations, advertising, and business operations tied in to sports. He began studying engineering in school because he was good at math and was a problem solver. But after not doing well in engineering, he came back to school more interested in the psychology of sports. Umar coached intramurals and did a lot of camps, which sparked his interest in coaching. Opportunities within the basketball community The first notion of sports business was a summer basketball program with Durham Parks & Rec. He sat on the Board for the Recreation Advisory Commission - he wanted to be involved in the community through parks and recreations. He ran the summer basketball program - he connected with coaches, he found the referees, found volunteers and players. They ran a 16-week summer league for three years that got him well connected with organizations in the area building trust. Umar started a nonprofit called the North Carolina Men’s League. The goal was to build support for men’s AAU, ages 18+. Nonprofit was not the right platform for Umar, but then he dove into creating his own program. Umar then created USports - providing high-level training to ensure quality performance, affordable service to athletes & community, offers a sense of compassion to students and athletes, quality and mobile offerings that athletes & families need. Sports Management, business through sports The Sports Management program at St. Augustine’s University, where Umar is a Professor, resides within the Business school. The program offers business courses within their academic study - finance, governance, facilities, accounting, communications - present your business data, business operations - how you control the business, supply and demand, and how to relate courses to sports as a business model. The foundation is taking business principles and translating them into the sports arena. Students gain an understanding that sports are centered around events, talent and business. You need talent everywhere in the form of athletes, management, broadcasting - they teach their students that you need talent everywhere. Though being book smart is important, it is important that faculty have real-life sports management experience. When he asks his students what they want to do in sports, many kids say they want to be a coach, trainer or agent. He is not against any of these avenues, but poses the question - do you know what it takes to be that elite coach, trainer or agent? Students often forget about the management and business side of sports as a career opportunity. “If you want a lifelong journey in sports, you have to explore and have a full picture of what you want to do and how to get there.” Opportunities for internships and talent pipelining Currently, the internship programs they are doing are primarily remote. They have opportunities in marketing, sports agencies that have client work. Also, locally, the Raleigh Firebirds is an opportunity to engage. They will have opportunities mentoring with the NFL in the future. Their goal is to push entrepreneurship and create the opportunities, particularly now, with ways to engage your own community. “Wherever you come from, we want to send you back home with the skills to be able to create opportunities in your community.” In sports - you have clinics and competitions. If you can design both of those, you can pretty much pave your way in sports. Mobile testing “I’m always thinking about where things are going, not where they are.” The genesis of this product is injury prevention testing - understanding where the weaknesses are in your body and have the ability to address those issues in real-time. Movement efficiency testing, able to look at an athlete’s capacity. Provides the athletes with self-care programs that you can do on your own. “Return to Play Testing” - identify what services we need to provide to the community and the young people, being ready in February 2021. “We want to make sure our athletes in North Carolina are prepared, because they are valuable. We don’t put enough value on what the athlete represents for sports. Athletes need to see themselves as valuable, one of the things you have to do is take care of your body. That’s the one thing you have control over as an athlete - preparing your body for performance.” People are judging an athlete on how your body performs under stress and how to perform at the higher level. Experiences in semi-pro basketball Umar first had an opportunity to be a General Manager of an ABA team that came to the area. I learned about being a GM and working with ownership. He did this for 8-9 months. He then learned about the Tobacco Road Basketball League through his current colleague at St. Aug’s, who owned the Cary Invasion. He supported the Invasion through announcing, concessions, merchandise, audio and video. He was so impressed with the TRBL because it was regional. “I truly believe minor league sports, especially a league rooted in the community, has to have deep local tentacles.” The league office can’t be in Chicago, Vegas, or New York for a North Carolina team. He was then empowered to bring a team to Durham, his home city. After five years of TRBL, they signed a deal with ESPN3 and signed a merchandise deal, which exposed Umar to National broadcasting. The passion that the people brought to what they were doing - the fans, the athletes, volunteers at every game to help setup. The commitment the community made to the team - he thinks it can be sustainable. “You have to have like-minded individuals committed to building community first and basketball product second.” Umar is still learning and pushes his students to continue to learn more.  Tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, August 25th, the Hoop Bus is coming through Raleigh, North Carolina on its nationwide tour, to continue to highlight social injustices through the platform of our shared love of the game of basketball. Basketball is a unique game that brings together a diverse community, and you can’t love the game of the basketball without loving the communities that embrace, teach, learn, appreciate and connect through the game.
In attendance will be: - Dr. Dudley Flood, the man who helped end segregation in North Carolina - Corey Branch, Raleigh City Council District B - David West, retired 15-year NBA player and 2X NBA Champion - Milton Chavis, performing in a dunk exhibition - Quincy Miller & Tyrrel Tate, current professional basketball players - Coach Bob MacKinnon, decorated coach and NBA G-League Champion - many, many more to be announced! The event will be held outdoors at 4821 B Hargrove Rd, Raleigh, NC, 27616. Everyone is required to respect social distancing guidelines and wear a mask. Masks will be provided at the event for anyone in need of one to attend. Alley Oop Hoops will be donating several laptops to the event for free raffle to children in attendance. We are excited to be supporting this event with the Hoop Bus, the Raleigh Firebirds, JD Lewis Center, and Compass Youth Center! Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Lorenza Wilkins, CEO/Co-Founder of Compass Youth Center and Executive Director of Rebound, Alternatives for Youth
CONVERSATION SUMMARY
Upbringing Lorenza is from rural Northeastern, North Carolina, in Warren County. His love affair with basketball began in 7th grade after a four inch growth spurt and he made his middle school team. He comes from a family of baseball players but was the first serious basketball player in the family. Sports were part of his upbringing, to stay physically active but also as a potential way to create a career and build net worth. Student athlete mentality During his freshman year in high school, he was holding his own with the varsity team and got more serious about basketball. He continued to grow and kept in shape through early years of high school, finding the weight room, building his strength, agility and skill. Lorenza has always been a supporter of student athletes, and he kept “student” before “athlete”. Perform off the court before focusing on performing on the court. Late in high school, Lorenza attended a Project Uplift event at UNC-Chapel Hill, which was one of his first exposures to secondary learning - this really got him thinking about his future. Focus on business and entrepreneurship Lorenza had early dreams of being a pilot but towards the end of high school, he became more intrigued by entrepreneurship, so he focused on business studies in his junior and senior years in high school. Though business is not taught explicitly in high school, he focused on mathematics which is used in business. His uncles had several businesses, which empowered Lorenza to foster a business mind. “I wanted to be able to create profit while doing something I enjoy.” Mentors that supported Lorenza Lorenza’s father was always a great role model in his life. His uncles, brothers, teammates, teachers and professors also made an impact on his life. father, uncles & brothers, community, teammates, teachers & professors. He had a lot of people around him letting him know from a young age, “you can do this.” “I took everything from those around me who had something positive to say and customized it to help me be as successful as I could on my path.” Basketball as a means to an end Lorenza grew to understand how basketball could be a ticket to help him get into school, so long as he was maintaining academics while being an athlete. Sports and academics used as an opportunity to get to schools, opportunity to sustain academics & sport and opportunity to take lessons forward to your future career. College experience Lorenza chose North Carolina Central University due to the strength of the education and basketball program. NCCU had won a National Title a few years prior and the team was strong that he joined. He was also considering Coppin State and Shaw at the time. Lorenza declared a Business Administration major with a Finance minor. Though basketball was consuming, Lorenza started to see that the opportunities in Research Triangle Park for business was vast. “I saw that if we get young people connected to STEM at an earlier age, it creates the opportunity to build a career.” Career in Corporate America As Lorenza was nearing graduation, it was paramount that he found a job with stability and good benefits for him to support his family, as his first son was born in his sophomore year at NCCU. He was thinking long-term when building a career, and began his professional career in talent acquisition and resource management. He made the most impact in this field by being able to shape careers and the talent pipeline for big companies. Lorenza found there was a “population of students that need additional support.” He was called to action, seeing that nonprofits can assist by preparing young people for a career mindset and connecting them to career opportunities at a young age. “Opportunities are there. It’s just a matter of connecting students to the resources.” Compass Youth Center Lorenza co-founded Compass Youth Center over 10 years ago, and still to this day, most of the work done by volunteers. The organization uses STEM as a connector, helping children engage with project-based learning to help redirect misbehaviors that cause disconnection in schools. The data shows us that in rural, undserversed areas, organizations can make the biggest change. Since 2015, Compass Youth Center has served over 500 students in nearly 12 counties in North Carolina with a two-fold approach: 1. Connect young kids to STEM as an opportunity for educational advancement and 2. Utilizing former athletes to support building leadership abilities in youth. Rebound, Alternatives for Youth Lorenza joined Rebound right before the pandemic as Executive Director. Rebound was founded in 2013 to support youth. Short-term suspensions make it difficult for students to stay connected to school, graduate and reach academic and professional goals. Rebound helps keep kids connected to their school work during suspension. The organization partners with the school system - both administration and educators, to ensure students have an environment that helps connect students to their schools. Rebound also leverages relationships with the university system to help meet the needs of students. Advice to those seeking to mentor When someone is not sure where to start, the “first line of contact should be the public school system.” This will provide direct contact to those who need mentoring and resources. Also, Parks and Recreation Centers and local nonprofits are good places to start. Find out what the needs of the programs are and help fill the gaps. Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Dr. Kim Bush, Director of Undergraduate Programming in Parks, Recreation, Tourism Management at NC State University
CONVERSATION SUMMARY
Students return to campus at NCSU Kim serves as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Parks, Recreation, Tourism Management Department, which includes Sports Management at NC State. Yesterday was the first day for classes on campus – it was great to see a summer of preparation and planning roll out live. Originally, when they surveyed students in June, 60-80% wanted face-to-face, and now that students are back on campus, that has flipped to where the majority prefer online. In Kim’s classes, she has had 80% who wanted to do virtual learning. She does a Zoom group and face-to-face group. NCSU has made it easier to social distance. There are picnic tables all around campus, a great way to social distance but still connect with students and faculty. Almost everyone on campus, 99.5% of people, are wearing masks. Kim’s experience in youth sports Sports were a big part of Kim’s life. When she first started playing sports, she was on boys’ teams as there were no girls team. She began with baseball and soccer, and then later added basketball and softball when girls’ teams existed. She discovered field hockey in middle school. The turning point for Kim was in to her freshmen year of high school, she did a sleep-away camp with the high school field hockey team with triple sessions of training per day. Thankful to her parents, who did not have the money to send her but they found it. In high school, she played basketball, field hockey, and soccer through her junior year, and focused solely on field hockey her senior year. She then picked up a job training youth field hockey before college. Studying sports management Kim did not initially intend to go in to sports management, which is a reason why she likes working with students who find their way to sports management. If it’s the right fit for the students to leave sports management to go somewhere else, she understands. Initially, Kim was convinced she wanted to practice sports psychiatry. Halfway through her junior year of college, she realized more of her teammates were studying physical education, sports management or parks and recreation. But she was focused on graduating in four years, so she finished Psychology at Ohio State University and went to Ohio University to study physical education and sports administration for a Master’s program. Kim then coached in college – she dropped down to coaching Division III for four years – she played Division I and knew countless players who came in to Division I loving the sport but that it eventually felt like work, so she wanted to see if the same was the case at the Division III level. After coaching for several years, she went back to school for her second Master’s and PhD in Sport and Exercise. During this second Master’s program was opened up to discrepancies in society, which is where her academic passion really came out. What brought her to Raleigh Kim came to Raleigh for an opportunity to teach at Meredith College. She is a big supporter for women in sports and women in general – Meredith’s mission of building strong, successful women was an exciting opportunity. At Meredith, she was teaching physical education, training teachers on how to coach and teach physical education. She taught at Meredith for three years until the opportunity arose at NC State University to teach in the parks and recreation department teaching sports management. Social equity “In an ideal world, we’d all start with the same resources, but it’s not an ideal world. How do we take away some of the challenges for people that exist? How do we make a fair playing ground at much as possible whether it relates to ability and disability, gender and pay, race and ethnicity, or socio-economic status? How do we continue to address these disparities?” Kim is a continued learner in this space, and appreciates that NC State has a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity program as part of the College of Natural Resources as well as another program on campus for the entire organization. “Social Issues in Sport” course This is one of Kim’s favorite courses to teach. The intent is to look at different issues and address the issues with different theories. Generally, they spend a week on each topic. Several of the issues covered include:
Athletes defaulting to sports management majors In the total Parks, Recreation, Sport Management department, they have 600 majors, and at least 150 are student-athletes or heavily involved in athletics. Kim thinks it makes a lot of sense for athletes to study sports management. That was her “ah ha” moment in college. “I can study what I love to do, what helped me get a college education, what was my escape as a child.” NC State’s sports management program is a top 10 major for the school this year. Several differentiators in the program are:
Bringing her students in to the community A lot of Kim’s work is with lower income areas in Raleigh. For years, they have done a program with an elementary school called “College Bound.” Most of the students in the school didn’t know anyone other than their teacher who went to college. From kindergarten, introduce what college means, and empower young children to feel they can attain it if they want. A full day each Spring, 200-300 college students Arts, Academics, and Athletics. Students are paired with a college buddy for the entire day. Her favorite teaching moments came through. This past year, NCSU sponsored a “Girls and Women in Sports” clinic to invite the community on campus for a day, celebrated at the same time as National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This included going to a women’s game, doing a “Chalk Talk” with the coaches. She has also done runs, walks, festivals partnering with schools. Intentional work with their partners, mutually beneficial relationships. “We are not of the mindset that we are going to come in and help you. We are going to gain just as much as you are. How do we set these events up as a partnership?” This is not an egotistical partnership. Pandemic effect on youth connectivity Kim feels we can still do a lot virtually to stay connected to younger children during the pandemic. Is it Zoom? Sports lesson? Talking about the history of sports? One of her learnings in graduate school was the importance of early childhood as a predictor of success. If we know certain groups can’t afford preschools, they are starting out behind and reliant on school to bring them up to speed. With the pandemic, she has major concerns about the gap getting larger and larger. It is challenging for parents in general, but if a parent is a single parent, or both parents work, that discrepancy could grow. Opportunities for sports management students Given it is a large school, there are many ways to get involved immediately. game day operations, marketing, media, ticket sales, team managers – any area of interest they have. Local professional teams – NCFC, Firebirds, Hurricanes. Get involved, is the message to their students. They have excellent faculty with worldwide connections. Strong alumni network. On volunteering and internships: “The A’s and B’s are great, but it’s the experience and recommendations that are going to help you navigate your way.” Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Coach Jason "Jay" Coleman, Founder of 3D Basketball
Youth basketball
Jay started playing rec league at 5 years old at Millbrook Exchange, and then began playing at Green Road soon thereafter. His dad coached and he grew up playing with his brother. Some of the same guys he played early rec league with - Shawan Robinson, Anthony Simmons - played against through high school. Raleigh’s rich basketball history Basketball runs deep in the area. Discussed Raleigh’s basketball presence in ‘99 - ‘03 (Jay graduated high school from Sanderson in ‘02) - Shavlik Randolph, Shawan Robinson, Anthony Richardson, DJ Thompson, PJ Tucker, Eric Williams. College recruiting experience Jay played junior varsity both his freshmen and sophomore years. In his junior year of high school, colleges started showing interest but no offers. In his senior year, despite the strength of the conference, Jay averaged just under 20 per game and made All Conference. Mindset of “D1 or nothing” - he was playing at a high level with other guys and wasn’t getting the interest he thought he deserved. Planned on walking on at NC A&T, but that did not work out, so he then transferred to Shaw. Advice to young players The work he does now focuses on education for both parents and players. Jay educates parents and creates awareness on the pitfalls of the game and decisions kids face. College ball is your resume if you want to pursue basketball after college, take advantage of your time in playing college, no matter where you play - no matter what division. When deciding on where to go to school - go somewhere you’re going to play. “If you have plans to play after college, make sure you go somewhere where you will get the minutes and game film”. More mid-major guys are making it now than years ago. A lot of top 50 high school players are barely panning out - “mid-major guys can make just as big of an impact” in their career playing. Get the experience, the skills, go somewhere where you’re going to play and build your portfolio to continue your career after college. After college After two years at Shaw, Jay’s scholarship didn’t get renewed, and he left school, trying out overseas. Jay went to these tryouts with his father, and in hindsight, players must have adequate representation. He struggled to think outside of basketball because he loved the game for so long - “it was basketball or nothing”. He was in the corporate workforce for 10 years. He came back to the game after his son was born, coaching him in rec leagues and then helping with his AAU team. Beginning a career in basketball training When Jay was supporting his son’s AAU team, one of the parents asked Jay if he would train another kid on the team. Jay started training one kid, one time per week and built his program from there. It started with Friday afternoons at Grand Slam. He took time to build his career as a trainer to support himself. “Started off struggling” but made it happen because it was a passion for him. Traveling to other cities, building relationships - you have to be in the gyms. “Once I get them in the gym, they’re sold”. Most important skill for a trainer Many former players think it is easy to train basketball if you know the game of basketball. But that isn’t the case. The most important skill for a trainer, and where Jay has been able to excel, is patience to teach. Biggest challenge in running a personal business Though Jay studied business during his two years at Shaw, he did not get deep into the business school, and found the business side, specifically marketing, branding, and promotion, to be the toughest part. He learned over time with no advertising experience. The business side has a constant learning curve. He had no idea the opportunities in merchandise, but has recently made a concerted effort to grow his brand through merchandise. Constantly evolving and studying the business side of the operation, but the focus is always on the players. Represents players, prioritizes his players and guides them on making best decisions for their future. Jay loves entrepreneurship and sharing his story with anybody who wants to work for themselves. He is big on self-starters, wants to help in any way, and many of his former players who no longer play the game, he remains in contact with to lend a hand how possible. Tells his players they need to write business plans if they have ideas. Coaching his children vs. other children When training his kids - he's their trainer, not dad, when they are in the gym. He is not easier on his kids than other athletes. Jay does not push his kids to want to train, even though he’s a trainer. Four years ago, when his oldest was 9 years old, he pushed more, but as he has gotten older, Jay has backed off. His oldest now asks him for feedback and wants to be pushed harder. “Parents need to be more aware of the pressure and expectations we put on our kids.” A lot of parents who did not make it far in athletics want so badly for their kids to be successful, but the kids have to want it. Alley Oop Hoops presents "Drive & Kick" with Dr. D-Nice Beaugelin
CONVERSATION SUMMARY
D-Nice’s wellness philosophy University of Texas Medical School, Masters in Nursing – Western-trained medicine doctor, however with a more Eastern approach over the years. D-Nice is a certified acupuncturist, and has many holistic trainings and certifications. She is also Board certified in Lifestyle Medicine & Internal Medicine. Over the years, she has formed her own style, blending Western medicine & holistic prevention-based medicine - system of wellness to teach to young people, high school and college students. What is the FOUNT wellness system?
What aspect of wellness do most teenagers neglect? First and foremost – sleep. There is a general lack of understanding how important sleep is for your overall health, and this is even more critical for athletes that stress their bodies constantly. Secondly, screen time. We are all guilty of being on phones too much, screen time counts whether virtual learning or not. “Your brain doesn’t care whether you are using the screen to learn or not – it counts.” D-Nice’s “Easy is Bad” athletic program This program is applying FOUNT specifically for athletes, focusing and addressing on the physical and mental demands on the body. High-performing athletes want longevity, want your body to be strong, and improve performance and recovery. Wellness is critical, even when you have youth on your side. “You feel you have super power, until you don’t. Until that first injury comes, and then you’re there wondering what to do.” Selling prevention to someone who feels perfect at the time is a difficult sell. Challenge the way you are nourishing your body. Challenge the way you are sleeping. Challenge the way you are managing your stress. Make taking care of your body part of your routine at a young age and carry it with you. Make rest worth it. You’ll gain more than you’ll lose when you take proper rest. 24/7/365 nature of youth athletics D-Nice referenced a study that you need three months rest from your sport to heal your body. Getting to the coaches and team owners, to help them understand wellness at a deeper level. You want to walk away from the game healthy. Once your athletic career is over, you want to take your body with you to next stage of life. You give your body to the game, take it with you when you leave. “Don’t leave the game with a broken body. You can be a high functioning athlete without the 24/7, year-round push.” Wellness isn’t being measured when these decisions are being made. What does D-Nice do daily to protect her wellness? D-Nice has been practicing wellness since she was a senior in high school (graduating high school at age 16). It was then that she began exercising regularly, as prior to that she was inactive. In college, she swam and cycled, walked a lot with her father, and found meditation. She changed her diet in her early 20’s. She is always aware of how to take care of her mind, body and energy around me, and has used her FOUNT system religiously. D-Nice adds new things into her daily routine of wellness as she continues to learn. Supporting youth D-Nice has been a youth leader since she was a teenager herself, and was always involved with youth programs through her church, helping steer youth program decisions as a teenager. Over the years she has noticed most wellness programs are geared towards adults, not high school or college age students. The teenage years are an important time for students where they are deciding where they’re going in life, time to veer this way or that way. This is a great time to create behaviors that contribute to longevity of wellness. She has lots of energy, and finds it easy and natural to work with high schoolers. |
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