St. John's University Athletics
Manhattan's P.S. 198 Stops By St. John's Men's Basketball Practice
2/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2014
QUEENS, N.Y.- Basketball has always been a game of numbers. The height of a player, scoring average, and assist-to-turnover ratio can all be added up and analyzed to dissect both player and team performance on the court.
When students from P.S. 198, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, visited St. John's men's basketball practice this past Thursday, the numbers of the game meant a lot more than just how it leads to wins and losses. For most of them, it marked the first time on a college campus where they were able to implement the skills they're learning into real life situations with New York's Team.
The elementary school children were a part of "In Addition," a program comprised of 24 students emphasizes the importance of providing children with opportunities to be active participants in the development of their own mathematical understandings. "In Addition," which is directed by Dr. Judith McVarish, avoids regular classroom constraints such as high stakes testing and grades, instead, the program empowers kids to depend on their own curiosity to grow their ideas and to work cooperatively with others.
"The team's job is to instill math in these kids," said Bernadette Zacharuk, Secretary of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The School of Education. "Today we wanted the students to use the skills and concepts that they've learned and apply it to basketball."
Funded by a grant through St. John's and the School of Education, "In Addition" dropped by campus to take a tour of the St. John's practice facility and basketball offices, and watch head coach Steve Lavin and his squad during practice in preparation for their eventual victory over No. 12/12 Creighton on Sunday.
While grasping math concepts was the main focus of the day, the kids also had the opportunity to talk with Red Storm players. With statistics that they printed out for their visit, the students asked graduate forward God'sgift Achiuwa about his height and wingspan while sophomore center Chris Obekpa, a BIG EAST and National Defensive Player of the Year candidate, was quizzed on the number of blocks he had this season. He was stumped.
"The guys and I had a great time with the kids today," said Obekpa. "They were really funny and they asked great questions. It's always great to give back to the community like this."
One member of the "In Addition" program, Xela Perryman, 10, of the Bronx, was already acquainted with the Red Storm after having seen them play earlier in the season.
"I saw them in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center and I like the way they play," said Perryman. "My favorite player is Tyler Walston because he was really nice when I met him."
The day was used as a stepping stone for the children's continuing development of their math skills and it was a chance for them to step on a college campus. Before stopping by the school, a university like St. John's seemed out of reach for the students, but after the experience, college is now an obtainable goal.
"The In Addition students will never forget this day," said Zacharuk. "To come to St. John's and to talk with players who have similar backgrounds and to speak with Coach Lavin means the world to them. It was a great day for this program."
