New Jersey Nets forward Keith Van Horn and the team’s mascot, Sly the Silver Fox, taught second graders at Public School No. 5 last week that reading and education should be top on their list.
"No matter what you do in life, education should be number one," said Van Horn. "In order for [professional athletes] to play basketball, baseball or any sport, they need to have an education."
Van Horn visited Sharon Gorman’s second grade class as part of the NBA’s Achieve to Read program. The school was chosen after being named the first New Jersey Nets Reading and Learning Center.
Since they were chosen as a Reading and Learning Center, the Nets have donated 200 books to the school’s library, a $500 value, and a banner has been displayed in the school’s library.
"We are happy to have him here to read to us and help us to learn," said second grade student Laura Garcia.
Before reading I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words by Michael Frith and Dr Seuss’ Oh the Thinks You Can Think, Van Horn stressed the importance of education in his life.
"My education allowed me to be an athlete," said Van Horn, who said that he wanted to be a basketball player for as long as he could remember. "I had to keep my grades up or my parents wouldn’t let me play sports."
"Reading is a stepping stone in your education," said Van Horn, who studied sociology at Utah. Besides wanting to know how the 6-foot-10 basketball forward grew so tall, the second grade students asked questions including how he became such a good ball player.
"I work hard and practice hard," said Van Horn. "If you want to get good at anything, you have to work hard."
The NBA’s Read to Achieve Program is a year-round national program designed to help young people develop a lifelong love for reading.
Starting young
While many of the school’s seventh and eighth grade students, who snuck into the school’s library after the reading session, may have been more likely to follow basketball and know Van Horn’s stats on the court, Van Horn said that younger students are more influenced by visits like his.
"We can have more of an influence on young kids," said Van Horn. "As kids get older, the influence we have on them diminishes. As the years go on they have their own issues and struggles. The younger kids are more into it."
Van Horn remembers being read to by his mother when he was younger, and spends a lot of time reading to his three children at home.
"It is fun to see them going through what I went through," said Van Horn about reading to his three children. "I will help them to love reading like I do. My daughter is in the first grade, so she is just at that age where she is learning to read and can read some beginner books. So we give her many opportunities to do that."
However, Van Horn wasn’t without fans when he entered the library filled with second grade students.
"He is one of my favorite players," said second grade student Jordan Suero, who came to school with American flags drawn on his cheeks.
"My brother likes to watch him," said second grade student Marilyn Mendoza, who brought a basketball to school for Van Horn to sign. "My brother wants to be a famous basketball player just like [Van Horn], and so do I."
Some of the older students at P.S. No. 5 were present for the reading session.
"I have two favorite players on that team," said Ivan Puente, an eighth grader and president of the student council, who named Van Horn as one of them.
Getting his chance
In an event unrelated to Van Horn’s visit but related to basketball, Steven Leon, an eighth grade basketball player at Public School No. 5, was selected as part of the Star Ledger’s Hit the Hoops program to attend one of the Nets’ practice sessions.
Leon will attend the session with 10 questions to ask one of the players. According to P.S. 5 Principal Al Lopez, Leon will also have to write a report based on the interview.
"Just to be there is very influential to me," said Leon, who plays basketball on both the school team and the West New York Recreation league. "It is not everyday that you get to see a practice session."
Leon is planning to ask about the player’s influences and what it was like on his journey to the NBA.