Connaughton Court: Milwaukee College Prep, Bucks star celebrate space
MILWAUKEE - At Milwaukee College Prep's 38th Street Campus, all eyes were on the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their brand-new basketball court.
"It’s changed the entire space," said Phillip Neely, the campus' physical education teacher. "The kids appreciate it."
The new court was provided by Milwaukee Bucks star Pat Connaughton and the Pat Connaughton Foundation.
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"What I believe a basketball court represents is a place where a community can come together," Connaughton said.
This is now the sixth "Connaughton Court" the foundation has completed in the past eight years. It's the fifth one in the Milwaukee area.
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"Obviously, they can compete, play basketball, but they can learn those translatable life skills, and they can utilize the court for a bunch of different purposes," said Connaughton. "I think that’s the mission of the foundation. It's to teach those translatable life skills. To be here this morning and see the excitement these kids have is pretty cool."
The next generation of basketball players are certainly appreciative of the gift.
"It feels good because Pat Connaughton is a great NBA player, and he came and helped us get a new court," said Sherman Liddell, a 38th Street Campus fifth grader.
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"It makes me happy when we can play basketball," said Noah Williams, a 38th Street Campus third grader. "We can shoot the balls and dunk them sometimes."
A year ago, the school's court was in need of a makeover.
"Last year, we had an incident where I actually fell on the court," said Neely. "There was like a little nail sticking up and it ripped my Nike shorts. I was super sad about that, but I was like, ‘This is also dangerous.’"
Photo gallery: Connaughton Court progress
Fortunately, the school was chosen to become the recipient of the next Connaughton Court.
"Our goal is to pick those schools that need it most, but also are utilizing the court for more than just basketball," said Connaughton. "They have the ability to really have an impact on the trajectory of a young kid’s life."
From there, the court was renovated in a few months. It was completed in time for the first month of the school year. The kids have been able to use it ever since.
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"They all love coming into the gym," said Neely. "I think having a gym that is not only safe but is also like a new gym for them to experience, I think that just fires a kid up."
Driven by a desire to help, Connaughton Courts are giving kids from any community a chance to grow their game and foster new relationships.
"If we can utilize our platform in the NBA as players to show that, you know, dreams that seem far-fetched are possible, hopefully it inspires that next generation to continue to reach for the stars and land on the moon," said Connaughton.
Moving forward, the Pat Connaughton Foundation has two more schools in mind for their next renovations. That announcement is coming in March.