 The Hesston College basketball team that scrimmaged a team from the Kansas Corrections Facility in Hutchinson, Kan., Saturday afternoon, March 3. Left to right are: Coach Tim Swartzendruber, Mike Reece, Campus Pastor Kevin Wilder, Avery Kirk, Brad Jones, Marlon Dominique, Garrett Yoder, LaMont Russell, Elvis Parks, Don Williams, Jordan Jantzi, and assistant coach Brendan Danker. |
April 2, 2007
Why would a college men's basketball team even consider playing a basketball team made up of medium-security prisoners?
Nine members of Hesston College basketball team--plus two coaches and faculty/staff members Kevin Wilder and Gary Oyer--found it challenging in a number of ways to scrimmage the eight-member squad at the Kansas Corrections Facility in Hutchinson, Kan., Saturday afternoon, March 3. For one thing, both teams came to play, evidenced by the final score, a 3-point overtime win, 64-61 by the Larks.
Elvis Parks scored 16, Mike Reece 14, and LaMont Russell added 10 for Hesston.
Garrett Yoder, a sophomore from Kalona, Iowa, called it an "awesome experience. We don't have that much in common, but we could play a basketball game."
Yoder and the other Lark players felt a bit intimidated after the prison doors clanged closed, especially when more than 200 prisoners in the recreation area--which included foosball tables, ping pong tables, shuffleboard, weight equipment, and a basketball court--got quiet and stared them down. Some prisoners whistled, while others made comments to the Lark players.
But that changed when they started playing basketball. "They're human just like us," Yoder said. "Everyone makes mistakes in life. You can't look at them as criminals. You try to look at the good and not be judgmental. You could see that we gave some of the players hope.
"They thanked us for coming and we thanked them for a good practice time," he continued. "They were positive and had good attitudes; I don't know if I could if I were in their shoes, being imprisoned for up to 15-20 years."
The scrimmage with the prison's team was one of three "extra-curricular" activities third-year coach Tim Swartzendruber did with this year's team. Last fall, they helped third-graders read at Hesston Elementary School. The team also volunteered at the fifth annual Kristin Swartzendruber Memorial Special Olympic Basketball Tournament February 24 in Haysville, an event named after Coach Swartzendruber's wife who died in an automobile accident in September 2002.
The Special Olympics tournament was a big deal for Yoder. "I have a brother who is mentally handicapped," he said. "I always felt bad for him, that he never had the opportunities I did. It gives me motivation to help others like him."
Marlon Dominique, a freshman from Donaldsonville, La., termed the basketball scrimmage with the prison team "a great experience. It was beneficial to me and other team members. You realize how life can change quickly with one or two mistakes. And you realize how precious things are, like just being able to walk across the street, or going to a college class.
"I'm only 18 years old," he continued, "and some of them are incarcerated for 20 years.
"I also heard how huge a role God plays in the prison," he said. "Some said it keeps them from going out of their mind. For me, I've been challenged to be more responsible and take ownership for the things I have," he said. "They have faith and hope in spite of being in prison.
"I was extremely happy to be a part of this," Dominique said. "I also was happy to see smiles on some of their faces. One guy told me, 'It's great that you made me smile, because it's hard to smile here.'
Getting patted down by prison guards was a new experience for Dominique. And how did it feel when the prison doors closed, leaving the team on the inside with the prisoners? "I had a sense of feeling small," he said. "It felt like you were the outcast."
Elvis Parks, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill, said he and the team didn't know what to expect at first. "To see a different side of prisoners was unexpected," he said. "We thought they might be rough, hurt us physically, or scare us.
"It was a valuable experience for the prisoners, since only those with good behavior got to play," he explained. "For us, it was another game and a new experience. They told us that we pushed them to play better."
Parks also felt good about reading to third graders last fall. "We don't know their background," he said. "It may be the only time they spent with people outside their family. In the 30 minutes we spent with them, a small bond was formed. We also had them come to one of our games. They may remember this for a long time." Players read to elementary students twice, then they invited the players back to participate in a "Red Ribbon" activity which promotes a drug-free lifestyle.
Coach Tim Swartzendruber noted that as the basketball game progressed Saturday, "We earned their respect and they earned ours," he said. "It was a competitive game
"Our guys appreciated and enjoyed the experience," he said. "They would like to do it again."
About the three "extra-curricular activities," Swartzendruber explained, "I want them to see the value of helping others. I want them to realize that there's more to life than basketball. So I decided to provide a variety of exposures to different types and groups of people."
Swartzendruber said in the future, he'd like to get the team more active with Schowalter Villa residents. For the past two years, players volunteered at Villa Days, a fund-raiser for the villa.
Hesston College Men's Basketball