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Watch | NBA TV's 'Beyond the Paint' to feature Louisville's Simmons College basketball program


NBA TV will put Louisville's Simmons College in the spotlight this week when it airs a documentary on the program at 11 p.m. Tuesday on "Beyond the Paint."

Courier-Journal columnist Tim Sullivan recently wrote about the non-scholarship program run by former Louisville and NBA basketball player Jerry Eaves, whose goal is to get at-risk young men into college with basketball.

From that story, which you can read in its entirety here:

College basketball at Simmons serves a larger purpose than extra-curricular entertainment. It is a non-scholarship program designed to draw disadvantaged youth into the classroom and away from the streets. The Rev. Kevin Cosby, the Simmons College president who has grown the school’s enrollment from 44 to 250, refers to it, simply, as “bait.”

“The ultimate objective is to develop men of character, and sports is just a means to get them into school,” said Cosby, seated courtside at the St. Stephen Family Life Center for Monday's game between the National Christian College Athletic Association teams. “Some of these kids were ineligible, so they had to work hard to get their academics in place for them to become eligible. That’s character. That’s how you develop character.

“We didn’t lower the standards to accommodate the kids. We required them to raise their standards to meet our requirements.”

Enjoy the clip above and watch "Beyond the Paint" for the full segment.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/spo...ogram/98804770/

Can we have a thread where we celebrate the good instead of hating on one another for once?

We're only allowed to have one positive thread? LOL

You're the one that said "for once". LOL

Watched the clip, and read the story. That's the type of program, and idea, that will turn a few lives around.
I've seen it happen.
Obviously the kids need to respond to the opportunity. Not all will, but some do.

Greater Good' is the message.
I want to be one of THOSE messengers.
New day/renewed effort.

Yes, I did. And you were the one to poke fun at it. What a guy.

A couple years ago, I mentioned in an EE thread that there were stories like this being played out all across the country, just beneath the radar. At the same time, I also mentioned that those stories almost always got local coverage- and nothing more.

When stories like this go national, there is always a chance that they can become viral, as well. Others see something that works and say, "Hey- I can do that right here in my own home town!"

______________

I've never discussed this on the forum before, but I formulated a theory many years ago: that much of our society's combativeness and lack of civility in discussing emotionally- and politically- charged subjects comes from the conditioning we've gotten from the news media.

The old adage, "If it bleeds, it leads" was begun long ago, and has had a deleterious effect on the national mood ever since. Here's why I think as I do:

Back when this approach was adopted, the 'bleed headline' was found to be effective to steal viewership/reader share from other outlets, but the bulk of the news (across all competing outlets) was still fairly balanced/informative in nature. As others picked up on the trend, The News started its downward spiral... until it became a constant source of the worst things Mankind could do to itself.

Then, when cable news became a platform for the profit-based 'ratings race,' the lid was blown off- and 'Evil went viral.' (So did banality, stupidity, and 'trivia masquerading as news,' but that's a subject that deserves its own thread...)

That constant drip, drip, drip of murdertorturerapewarplaguepestillencegangviolencehumantrafficingetc. eroded our sense of common decency and courtesy to others. It also warped our sense of reality... because we were no longer getting balance in what was being reported. Good stuff was happening, but news coverage? Not a chance. The media had successfully (if mindlessly) conditioned its clientele to prefer bloodsport over nuanced stories of human interaction and positivity. And a price for this trade-off was exacted from our souls.

Then... the internet showed up.
"News, al a carte."
Served up the way you want it- without all those pesky competing POV's.
Cycle through all the sites that bolster one's confirmation bias... and 'cut loose on the world' in the comment sections attached to each article.

'Critical thought process'... dealt a death-blow.

And here we are.

Now, we have anonymous flame wars on message boards, where we expect the worst from others, and display the worst of ourselves. I recognized this effect in myowndamnself about 2 decades ago- and adopted a personal policy that I've followed religiously ever since: at regular intervals, I'll take a self-imposed 'news blackout.' Sometimes, it's 2-3 days. Other times, it can last as long as 2-3 weeks. No news on TV. No news in the car. Explore new artists in iTunes/Soundcloud. Crank up the stereo. Read a book. Attend a play or art exhibit. Refrain from debates at Dawgtalkers.

New-Agers call it 'cleansing,' but I've been doing it since before they were even a thing. It does absolutely nothing to re-orient my base philosophy, but it does wonders for my 'coping skills'... and how I self- monitor the remarks that I make to those with whom I disagree.

I still backslide more often than I'd like... but I'm a much better 'version of myself' than I'd be, if I hadn't done this work on myself. I hope that my efforts have made me a better citizen of this cyberplace than I'd be- if I hadn't even made the effort.

____________________

I love stories like this.

Been a part of a few of them myself, over the years- in my own small way. The personal reward comes from seeing someone break the mental and social chains that hold others down, and levitate themselves to new possibilities. This man does it through sports and school. I do it through music and The Arts. Both lead people in the same direction: self-knowledge, discipline, working toward a distant goal one day at a time, rising above temporary setbacks/failures ("eyes on the prize"), belief in one's self, etc.

IMO, there can't be enough threads like this, no matter who starts them or participates in them. I'm down for each and every one of them, because:

We're all different. We all respond to different stimuli. And there's no telling which thread, remark, or individual post will inspire one of us to try his/her own version of something like this.

For all the partisan bickering, smack-talk, and 'gotcha' moments we drop upon each other here, I remain convinced that the lion's share of us are good people at heart. And good people, motivated by deep passion, can do wonders within their own personal spheres.


"Think global/act local."
"Men go crazy in congregations; they only get better one-by-one."

If I find a thread like this, I'm gonna support it in whatever way I can... even if they are sponsored by 'internet mortal enemies' who are both (or all) happen to be friends of mine.

'Greater Good' is the message.
I want to be one of THOSE messengers.
New day/renewed effort.


.02,
Clem.

I've never discussed this on the forum before, but I formulated a theory many years ago: that much of our society's combativeness and lack of civility in discussing emotionally- and politically- charged subjects comes from the conditioning we've gotten from the news media.