Shawn O'Connell signs a t-shirt at Samuel J Green Charter school.
Men’s Basketball Visits Samuel J Green Charter School
3/12/2015 12:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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NEW ORLEANS – Members of the Georgia Southern men's basketball team and head coach Mark Byington spent the morning of their first full day in New Orleans at Samuel J Green Charter School Thursday.
The Eagles visited a kindergarten class for about an hour. After each member of the team introduced himself, Byington and the Eagles spoke to the children about the importance of education.
"To be good at anything, you have to practice," Byington said to the group. "No matter whether it's playing basketball or learning to read, it takes practice and you have to work hard at it."
For a handful of eighth graders who had interest in playing basketball in high school and college, Byington had this message.
"Only one percent of high school basketball players play Division I basketball, so it's a select group, and then it's .001 percent of those who make it to the NBA," he said. "So that's why taking care of your academics and getting your education is so important."
The student-athletes took questions, and then the children practiced their vocabulary by reading a word off a sheet of paper and then crumpling it up and trying to "make a basket" in the garbage can. Following that exercise, the Eagles handed out gift bags, containing t-shirts and mini-basketballs, as well as tickets to Saturday's game.
Georgia Southern is scheduled to practice from 1-3:30 p.m. and then return to the hotel. They will meet with Ticket Manager John Ramfjord to take care of their ticket needs for family and friends and then have a study hall session with Academic Advisor Jennifer Bryant this evening.
Members of the coaching staff will make their way to the arena to watch and scout the opening games of the Sun Belt Tournament. South Alabama and UALR, who are on the Eagles' side of the bracket, meet in the nightcap of today's doubleheader at Lakefront Arena.
The Eagles, by virtue of finishing second in the league with a 21-8 overall record and 14-6 conference record, earned a double bye and will play their first game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN3. Georgia Southern will meet ether third-seeded ULM, sixth-seeded South Alabama or seventh-seeded UALR in that contest.
Should the Eagles win Saturday's game, the Sun Belt Tournament championship game is scheduled for Sunday, at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. All the games will be in Lakefront Arena.
Students can get free admission to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament by showing their valid school ID at the ticket window.
Ticket booklets are also still available for the tournament for $99 and give fans a chance to see every game. Eagle fans can purchase their tickets through the Georgia Southern Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS. By purchasing through the Georgia Southern Athletics Ticket Office, fans can guarantee a seat behind the team bench area.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.
NEW ORLEANS – Members of the Georgia Southern men's basketball team and head coach Mark Byington spent the morning of their first full day in New Orleans at Samuel J Green Charter School Thursday.
The Eagles visited a kindergarten class for about an hour. After each member of the team introduced himself, Byington and the Eagles spoke to the children about the importance of education.
"To be good at anything, you have to practice," Byington said to the group. "No matter whether it's playing basketball or learning to read, it takes practice and you have to work hard at it."
For a handful of eighth graders who had interest in playing basketball in high school and college, Byington had this message.
"Only one percent of high school basketball players play Division I basketball, so it's a select group, and then it's .001 percent of those who make it to the NBA," he said. "So that's why taking care of your academics and getting your education is so important."
The student-athletes took questions, and then the children practiced their vocabulary by reading a word off a sheet of paper and then crumpling it up and trying to "make a basket" in the garbage can. Following that exercise, the Eagles handed out gift bags, containing t-shirts and mini-basketballs, as well as tickets to Saturday's game.
Georgia Southern is scheduled to practice from 1-3:30 p.m. and then return to the hotel. They will meet with Ticket Manager John Ramfjord to take care of their ticket needs for family and friends and then have a study hall session with Academic Advisor Jennifer Bryant this evening.
Members of the coaching staff will make their way to the arena to watch and scout the opening games of the Sun Belt Tournament. South Alabama and UALR, who are on the Eagles' side of the bracket, meet in the nightcap of today's doubleheader at Lakefront Arena.
The Eagles, by virtue of finishing second in the league with a 21-8 overall record and 14-6 conference record, earned a double bye and will play their first game Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN3. Georgia Southern will meet ether third-seeded ULM, sixth-seeded South Alabama or seventh-seeded UALR in that contest.
Should the Eagles win Saturday's game, the Sun Belt Tournament championship game is scheduled for Sunday, at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. All the games will be in Lakefront Arena.
Students can get free admission to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament by showing their valid school ID at the ticket window.
Ticket booklets are also still available for the tournament for $99 and give fans a chance to see every game. Eagle fans can purchase their tickets through the Georgia Southern Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS. By purchasing through the Georgia Southern Athletics Ticket Office, fans can guarantee a seat behind the team bench area.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.
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