JR2004
03-10-2007, 07:18 AM
This is from Jean-Jacques Taylor of the DMN...Pretty well written article in my opinion.
The signs of hope are everywhere in the neighborhood surrounding South Oak Cliff High School. Here, hope comes in the form of the steeples and basketball.
At least a dozen churches of varying sizes and denominations are within walking distance of the high school, located in a working-class community, where small, one-story houses in varying hues and states of disrepair line Marsalis Ave.
The churches indicate the people in this community – nearly 50 percent have a household income less than $25,000 – believe in the power of prayer, providing them hope for better days.
South Oak Cliff's boys basketball team provides another outlet of hope.
It shows everyone in the community what hard work, sacrifice and dedication can accomplish. You can't assume youngsters in this proud community grow up knowing that.
Those lessons must be taught. Or in this case demonstrated.
SOC headed to Austin on Wednesday as the favorite to win its third consecutive Class 4A title, something that hasn't happened since Houston Wheatley did it in 1968-70.
They didn't go alone.
You never do in a community that loves basketball like this one does. Principal Regina Jones made sure the student body gave the team a rousing sendoff.
As the players were introduced one by one to a throng of students, parents and well-wishers, they jogged from the school's front door to curb, slapping hands with their fans. The band played, and the cheerleaders and drill team performed for the crowd, many of whom held black, gold and white balloon bouquets.
REX C. CURRY / Special to DMN
SOC players get a send-off on their way to the state tournament in Austin. At SOC, basketball is a community affair. So there were teachers and children from several of the elementary schools – Marsalis, Budd, Jordan and Lisbon – whose students will eventually attend SOC. One smiling child carried an orange sign that read "We are the SOC family."
"I just wanted to show the guys we appreciate them and we support them," Jones said. "I wanted our boys to know they're role models. I want them to know they're blessed and show them the responsibility they have to the younger children."
Don't underestimate the importance of that. Before kids believe they can change their circumstance and mature into adults who contribute to society, they must see successful examples, whether they occur on the basketball court or in the classroom.
That creates self esteem, the building block of success.
"The basketball team gives us a sense of pride, and it allows the school and the students to be shown in a positive light, which isn't always the case. It carries over to other aspects of our school," said Jones, SOC's Dean of Instruction from 1996 to 2000.
"When we took the TAKS test, we told the students this test gives us a chance to prove we're state champions in the classroom and on the court."
Dr. Ga Lagbara sponsors the school newsletter, which devoted its entire edition to the basketball team.
"All of the old clichés apply when you're talking about basketball at South Oak Cliff," he said. "It gives us a sense of pride and makes our students feel like they can do anything. It also shows them an avenue for getting out of this neighborhood, making something of themselves and, hopefully, having the ability to come back and help others."
James Mays II, SOC's coach since 1999, is a perfect example of that. He attended SOC as a freshman and sophomore before graduating from Townview Business and Management Center. Mays grew up in the neighborhood and understands the lure of the streets and how to rescue kids before they're lost in a labyrinth of socio-economic issues that create a cycle of poverty.
He loves the kids at SOC because they arrive with a certain mentality, a toughness that enables them to fight through the adversity that inevitably occurs during a championship game or season.
No one understands better than Mays what SOC basketball means to this community. This is, after all, a program that has won four state championships, advanced to the state tournament 11 times and produced NBA players such as Dennis Rodman and Tony Battie.
SOC has accounted for four of DISD's 14 state championships in the modern era, which began in 1971 when the Prairie View Interscholastic League completed its merger with the University Interscholastic League.
"Our kids have a certain level of expectation. There's a feeling of disappointment if we don't get to the state tournament because we feel like we let people down. A good year for us is making the trip to Austin for the state tournament," Mays said. "A great year is winning the tournament.
"A lot of our success is because of the community. We have good leagues at the YMCA and good AAU programs and as the kids get older the parents realize that if they come here they're going to get good coaching and discipline."
And the hope that accompanies being a winner.
The signs of hope are everywhere in the neighborhood surrounding South Oak Cliff High School. Here, hope comes in the form of the steeples and basketball.
At least a dozen churches of varying sizes and denominations are within walking distance of the high school, located in a working-class community, where small, one-story houses in varying hues and states of disrepair line Marsalis Ave.
The churches indicate the people in this community – nearly 50 percent have a household income less than $25,000 – believe in the power of prayer, providing them hope for better days.
South Oak Cliff's boys basketball team provides another outlet of hope.
It shows everyone in the community what hard work, sacrifice and dedication can accomplish. You can't assume youngsters in this proud community grow up knowing that.
Those lessons must be taught. Or in this case demonstrated.
SOC headed to Austin on Wednesday as the favorite to win its third consecutive Class 4A title, something that hasn't happened since Houston Wheatley did it in 1968-70.
They didn't go alone.
You never do in a community that loves basketball like this one does. Principal Regina Jones made sure the student body gave the team a rousing sendoff.
As the players were introduced one by one to a throng of students, parents and well-wishers, they jogged from the school's front door to curb, slapping hands with their fans. The band played, and the cheerleaders and drill team performed for the crowd, many of whom held black, gold and white balloon bouquets.
REX C. CURRY / Special to DMN
SOC players get a send-off on their way to the state tournament in Austin. At SOC, basketball is a community affair. So there were teachers and children from several of the elementary schools – Marsalis, Budd, Jordan and Lisbon – whose students will eventually attend SOC. One smiling child carried an orange sign that read "We are the SOC family."
"I just wanted to show the guys we appreciate them and we support them," Jones said. "I wanted our boys to know they're role models. I want them to know they're blessed and show them the responsibility they have to the younger children."
Don't underestimate the importance of that. Before kids believe they can change their circumstance and mature into adults who contribute to society, they must see successful examples, whether they occur on the basketball court or in the classroom.
That creates self esteem, the building block of success.
"The basketball team gives us a sense of pride, and it allows the school and the students to be shown in a positive light, which isn't always the case. It carries over to other aspects of our school," said Jones, SOC's Dean of Instruction from 1996 to 2000.
"When we took the TAKS test, we told the students this test gives us a chance to prove we're state champions in the classroom and on the court."
Dr. Ga Lagbara sponsors the school newsletter, which devoted its entire edition to the basketball team.
"All of the old clichés apply when you're talking about basketball at South Oak Cliff," he said. "It gives us a sense of pride and makes our students feel like they can do anything. It also shows them an avenue for getting out of this neighborhood, making something of themselves and, hopefully, having the ability to come back and help others."
James Mays II, SOC's coach since 1999, is a perfect example of that. He attended SOC as a freshman and sophomore before graduating from Townview Business and Management Center. Mays grew up in the neighborhood and understands the lure of the streets and how to rescue kids before they're lost in a labyrinth of socio-economic issues that create a cycle of poverty.
He loves the kids at SOC because they arrive with a certain mentality, a toughness that enables them to fight through the adversity that inevitably occurs during a championship game or season.
No one understands better than Mays what SOC basketball means to this community. This is, after all, a program that has won four state championships, advanced to the state tournament 11 times and produced NBA players such as Dennis Rodman and Tony Battie.
SOC has accounted for four of DISD's 14 state championships in the modern era, which began in 1971 when the Prairie View Interscholastic League completed its merger with the University Interscholastic League.
"Our kids have a certain level of expectation. There's a feeling of disappointment if we don't get to the state tournament because we feel like we let people down. A good year for us is making the trip to Austin for the state tournament," Mays said. "A great year is winning the tournament.
"A lot of our success is because of the community. We have good leagues at the YMCA and good AAU programs and as the kids get older the parents realize that if they come here they're going to get good coaching and discipline."
And the hope that accompanies being a winner.