Four Cambellsville University (Ky.) basketball players start summer by teaching basketball skills in Africa

Fourteen day journey for student-athletes

July 4, 2007

CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY | Sports Information Office

Story submitted by Bryan Blair, Campbellsville University, bfblair@campbellsville.edu

Campbellsville, Kentucky - When final exams end the first week of May, many college students and student-athletes are eager to begin their summer break by returning home for a three-month break.

But for four Campbellsville University Lady Tiger basketball players, summer break started with a fourteen day journey to Zambia, Africa where they taught basketball skills and helped dedicate a basketball court at the Katombora Reformatory School.

Lady Tigers Kristi Ensminger (SO/Kingston Springs, TN), Juliana Brown (JR/Nashville, TN), Maranda Wilkinson (JR/Huntland, TN) and Shabree Hunter (SO/Delray Beach, FL) made the trip to Africa with former head coach Donna Wise and her husband George.

Donna Wise organized the trip with Lonnie and Fran Turner who have worked in Zambia since 1976.  Lonnie, a 1971 graduate of Campbellsville is also a consultant with the University.  Both he and his wife are associated with Partners in Development, a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting Rural African communities in their efforts to improve the quality of life in the areas of clean water, health care and education.  The women's basketball program at Campbellsville has supported Partners in Development for a number of years with uniforms and equipment.

Wise took a group of players to Brazil several years ago and the Turners encouraged her to do the same in Zambia.  Wise said the opportunity to travel internationally and teach literacy and basketball skills opened up with her recent retirement from coaching.  "This trip gave our players actual hands-on servant leadership opportunities," said Wise.  "It was a life changing experience in many ways for all of us as most people there live on fifty-cents a day," added Wise.

Fran negotiated with the Minister of Prisons in Zambia for basketball and volleyball courts to be built with donations at the site of their Katombora Reformatory School, located forty kilometers from Livingstone, Zambia.  Wise agreed to provide basketball and literacy instruction to young men, many of whom are AIDS orphans.

"It is remarkable to drive into the bush of Africa, surround yourself with a herd of 35 elephants on the trip and come upon a full court, tangerine colored basketball court," said Wise.

The prisoners cleared two acres by hand and Lonnie and the Reformatory staff poured 500 bags of concrete in making the court, which was dedicated in an official ceremony attended by many political dignitaries as well as teachers and school children in the area during the group's trip.  Wise presented a set of uniforms, basketballs and sports equipment at the dedication as well.

The members of the team provided basketball instruction in the hot Zambian sun, both to the young men at the reformatory and children at the primary school. "It was amazing to see just how quickly they picked up the skills," said Wise.  "The vast majority of them had never seen a basketball," she added.

All four Lady Tiger players agreed that the trip was an eye opening experience for them and Wise said that she now understands Lonnie Turner's emphasis on water.  "It is compelling to learn a mother's tale of losing her child to a crocodile while it was bathing in the Zambezi River.  I watched the women wash their clothing in mud holes and children drinking unpurified water.  We visited two villages and the players asked why they didn't see many men.  The AIDS epidemic is immense and the communities must help care for many of the orphans," said Wise.

The group listened to the needs of the people from books for the primary school teachers, water wells, treadle pumps or a maternity wing at the health clinic.  Those needs weren't lost on the Lady Tiger players.   Juliana Brown, a junior from Nashville, Tennessee said "God opened my eyes to another part of the world that desperately needs our prayers.  This trip confirmed to me that my ministry is with children. Helping them to understand God's love and that he will supply their wants and needs if they put their faith in Him," she said.

Teammate Shabree Hunter summed up the trip by talking about the attachments formed with the children.  "Within seconds, I fell in love with the children and knew it would be very hard to say good-bye on the last day of teaching.  I will revisit, God willing," said Hunter.

Wise concluded by saying that the attachments to those that the team worked with were evident as they bid farewell.  "It's hard not to get emotional when a young man's only request when we left was to send a dictionary.  Our group's visit to this area will be talked about in the villages for a long time as will the friendships that were made on both sides," she concluded.