NORFOLK, VA (WTKR) – Growing up, Norfolk State Robert Jones may not have had access to everything he needed to start the school year off on the right foot. Now he’s doing everything he can to make sure other students don’t have to go through the same circumstances.
Jones and the Norfolk State men’s basketball team held their fifth homecoming party at Echols Hall on Monday. Students from elementary to high school were able to stop by and pick up backpacks full of school supplies, shoot around the rink, meet the Spartans and enjoy a deejay. Bounce houses and balloon artists were also on hand for the younger crowd.
“Growing up, I didn’t have the best means, so I think now I’m doing something that I probably wanted people to do for me,” Jones recalled. “Just being able to bring back school supplies and things like that and make sure these kids are good for the first day of school, it means a lot.”
“It feels good to give back to the community, have people come in, see the gym, show our faces and stuff like that,” noted senior forward Kris Bankston. “It just feels good to me.”
The players didn’t just show up, they embraced it with energy and enthusiasm. The Spartans were there to greet the students and their parents, hand out the materials, supervise the activities, take pictures and meet the guests.
“This is about them, not about us,” said senior guard Joe Bryant Jr.. “We’re just trying to give the kids as much energy as we can for as long as we’re going to be here.”
“They were in similar situations, too,” Jones added of his players. “Maybe they didn’t have school supplies to start the school year, so now they’re in a position to go back to it, too.”
Norfolk State gave out 261 backpacks filled with school supplies, according to Jones.
The Spartans will take the court in November and begin a march toward a hopeful third consecutive MEAC title. They will open their 2022-2023 campaign on November 7th by hosting the University of Virginia Lynchburg.
