CMSD NEWS BUREAU
Christmas came early for hundreds of students at Scranton Elementary School as Cavaliers star Kevin Love and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation surprised the school with two new basketball hoops to replace crumbling equipment.
DICK’S is donating 100 basketball hoops to deserving communities across the country through a program called “Holiday Hoops.” Scranton, which received its hoops Tuesday, was the first in line.
“Our kids loved basketball and love extracurricular activities, and our hoops have been kind of falling apart,” Scranton Principal Troy Beadling said. “We’ve been repairing them and repairing them, and couldn’t afford to buy new ones. So, we were in desperate need.”
Students put the hoops to good use right away, playing games with the NBA star in oversized jerseys. Many walked away with autographed items and big smiles.
“I was excited when I saw Kevin Love,” a seventh-grader gushed. “My mind went completely like, ‘Wow, he’s just so tall!’”
Love, who joined the Cavaliers this year, had fun, too. He answered questions from the students and signed autographs.
“It really means a lot to me to give back and be a part of something special like this,” Love said. “Two basketball hoops given here to Scranton Elementary today. We’ll give out a hundred through the entire holiday season. It’s very nice to start it out in Cleveland today.”
Or with apologies to author Clement Clarke Moore…
‘Twas a few weeks before Christmas, when all through the Scranton Elementary gym,
Not a basketball hoop in sight, until DICK’S Sporting Goods stepped in…
“Our kids loved basketball and love extracurricular activities, and our hoops have been kind of falling apart,” Scranton principal Troy Beadling said. “We’ve been repairing them and repairing them, and couldn’t afford to buy new ones. So, we were in desperate need.”
The new hoops were wrapped and hidden with care,
In hopes that a big surprise soon would be there;
When what to their wandering eyes did appear,
Two new basketball hoops and a star Cavalier…
“I was excited when I saw Kevin Love,” a Scranton 7th grader said. “My mind went completely like, ‘Wow, he’s just so tall!’”
Hundreds of students cheering with glee,
Barely believing what they could see;
So, away to the hoops, they made a mad dash,
To play games in big jerseys and win in a flash;
“To play those games with them was certainly a lot of fun,” Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love said. “Any time you can spread love and spread a smile is very nice.”
He teamed up with DICK’S Sporting Goods to kick off “Holiday Hoops” in style,
Paying it forward with one-hundred more across the U.S. with a smile;
“It really means a lot to me to give back and be a part of something special like this,” Love said. “Two basketball hoops given here to Scranton Elementary today. We’ll give out a hundred through the entire holiday season. It’s very nice to start it out in Cleveland today.”
He answered their questions, he posed for their photos, and then signed his name,
While everyone in the gym would never be the same;
“This is an event they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives,” Beadling said. “It’s not every day you get a chance to meet a star of the NBA. Especially around the holidays, being able to see the joy they can take away from this event.”
“It means a lot to me, and what I got to do is keep my grades up, and treat others like I want to be treated,” the 7th grader said. “The jersey? I’m going to giving it to my coach, Mr. Bender, because I’ve known him for seven years, and he’s taken me to a lot of games.”
Spreading the love and the holiday spirit from one to all,
It’s safe to say everyone here had a ball.
