I must first apologize as I used a journalistic tactic to grab your attention. It is not the National Basketball Association or NBA as we fans know, it is the NHSBA, the acronym for the National High School Basketball Association. This organization began its operations in Little Rock and is now an Atlanta-based non-profit with the mission of balancing athletics and academics for students in grades nine through twelve. The founder, Deuntate Copeland, originally from Emerson, Arkansas, helped lead his high-school basketball team to the only boys’ state championship in school history. While a student at the University of Central Arkansas, Deuntate realized that the progression from high school to college was challenging and often an arduous and demanding adjustment for many students. He often experienced conflicting choices and dilemmas between being a star on the court and in the classroom. Deuntate began the non-profit with the premise that a program that combines the tenets of athletics, academics and community service could be the preparedness and readiness for students making the transition to college, and ultimate fruition from college, culminating in an impactful lifelong experience.

There are NHSBA centers in Memphis, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Jackson, Mississippi, Detroit and Philadelphia, cities where there is a NBA presence. Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies, a NHSBA partner, and the Indiana Pacers supported the organization by participating in a fundraiser to help promote learning in the classroom and on the court of play. Pittsburgh could possibly be scouted and recruited as a potential site as southwestern Pennsylvania has a prominent NCAA basketball presence from the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and Robert Morris University in addition to its educational centers of excellence.

The NHSBA’s mission focuses on Winning Through Education – educating the youth to make healthy choices through physical fitness and through health issues such as obesity and diabetes and providing academic tools to improve literacy and mathematics. Basketball jargon is used as a connecting and common factor to meld athletics and academics with the NHSBA’s programming.

REBOUND encourages youth to work together to revitalize their communities and to help others with the goal of developing problem-solving skills and learning about service. TIMEOUT provides mentoring and job shadowing opportunities to assist young people in life choices. OUT OF BOUNDS focuses on the ideal of volunteerism as a way of attracting young people about the spirit and practice of promoting goodwill and service.

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This year, fundraisers will be held in Atlanta and New York City to garner support and resources for future site locations. As a member of the NHSBA’s Fundraising and Community Relations Advisory Committee, I will use my determination and sheer will to recommend Pittsburgh as a future center as this region births and produces many phenomenal student-athletes. Our youth deserve the opportunity to win through education, too. Stay tuned. I will be contacting you for assistance.

S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . Personified© is a part of Diane Hughley’s eclectic writing collections that show a confluence of topics in the ebb and flow of sports. Diane received her bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University and earned her graduate credentials in sports leadership from the same institution. She utilizes her communications, leadership, marketing and event planning expertise in diverse industries and is a freelance writer. She shares her thoughts about athletes and current sports topics on her blog, Diane’s Sports Talk, at http://www.dianessportstalk.com or at diane.hughley@yahoo.com. Photo is courtesy of Sandidge Photography.