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‘Basketball Jones’ visit to AMS is a slam dunk
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Jones played an intense game of Simon Says with a group of AMS students. During the game, Jones celebrated the students when they smiled and kept a positive attitude.
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With a little help from Jones (left), Ricky Maher spun a large basketball on just his finger.
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For one of Jones’ tricks, he needed a little teamwork from two AMS students. Kayla Morgan (far left) supported Kaitlyn Lewis so that they could expertly spin two basketballs simultaneously.
By SARAH FOOR
On March 17, Austintown Middle School welcomed Jim “Basketball” Jones to their school for a presentation called “Finding the Gold in Others.”
In his show, Jones was an inspirational dynamo and a one-man basketball stunt team, using his life experiences and his skills in basketball to teach the middle school students about treating others how they wish to be treated.
Jones was invited to the school after assistant principal David Mullane found YouTube videos of Jones’ presentations. “Although we love all the guests we welcome to AMS, the PTA and I were definitely looking for an event that would be relatable and motivational, and presented in a way that the students would really take to. It was Jim’s use of sports and his wonderful approach that sold us on inviting him for this event,” Mullane explained.
In his talk about “Finding the Gold in Others,” Jones shared that he learned to celebrate differences when he found out he was different at a young age.
“When I was diagnosed as dyslexic in kindergarten, I was taken to a different classroom from all my friends. I was made fun of for being stupid, but I told my bullies to change their perspective. Like my friends in my special classroom, we were brave, because we went to school and worked to get smarter every day,” he shared.
Jones shared stories of his childhood and experiences as a motivational speaker to implore the students to look for the strength in others, to put their character into action, and stay positive.
In between his inspirational words, he showed off some of his basketball tricks and invited students to do some tricks of their own. After spinning two basketballs on each index finger, AMS student Kaitlyn Lewis gave Jones a big hug and thanked him for her chance to shine.
PTA representative Deb Fuller sponsored Jones’ trip to AMS, along with assistant principal Mullane.
“Mr. Jones has done an amazing job today,” Fuller said after the assembly. “He connects with the kids and speaks to them on their level. This is the most excited I’ve seen the kids for a school assembly in a long time.”