Tennessee basketball players celebrated dozens of children and young adults with Down syndrome at Hoops for Hope, a longstanding charitable partnership between the Vols and the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of Tennessee.
Hoops for Hope was first held in 2007 as part of his Eagle Scout project by Trey Sexton, then a sophomore at Farragut High School. Sexton was able to enlist the help of UT basketball in putting the first event on and 19 years later, it’s become a tradition. The latest edition of Sexton’s project was held on Aug. 22 at Farragut’s gym.
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“This is one of those events that we all look forward to coming to at the beginning of every year,” sophomore forward DeWayne Brown II said. “It’s definitely cool to come out and see how it grows every single year and just to have fun with all the kids and the people here.”
Vols players spent the afternoon lifting kids up for dunks, guiding them through game action, coloring pictures and cheering for every made basket. Lady Vols guard Avery Mills and men’s team guard Troy Henderson served as public address announcers, adding energy to starting lineup introductions and providing commentary on the games.
The basketball activities help the participants with Down syndrome refine their motor skills and interaction in the community improves their social skills. UT’s players found it to be just as rewarding for themselves.
Brown’s mom, April Dickerson, has worked for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Alabama for more than two decades and he volunteered for the organization growing up. He feels a connection to home when he has the opportunity perform community service.
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“I’ve been seeing people grow up like this for a long time,” Brown said. “So it’s definitely a cool experience being able to still be a part of something like this in college.”
Of the 31 players that make up both rosters, 28 are in their first seasons as Vols. For newcomers like Kaylene Smikle, a transfer from Maryland, Hoops for Hope marked one of the fist times they could greet their new fans face to face and establish a personal relationship that goes beyond basketball.
“This is my first year here, but I know that Tennessee has participated in this for 19 years so being able to be a part of this is really special for me,” Smikle said. “It’s really good to get out into the community to actually know people who are talking to you and become a familiar face and not just a person on the court.”
Senior Rylie Theuerkauf, a transfer from Georgia, is an education major and hopes to be a teacher some day, so taking an afternoon to help young people with Down syndrome is an extension of her coursework.
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“Meeting all the kids and coloring with them, making them laugh, things like that – it’s not even about basketball, just about talking with them and being with them,” she said.
For junior guard Juke Harris, a transfer from Wake Forest, said events like Hoops for Hope take him back to when he was a kid, falling in love with the game of basketball at camps.
Most days, basketball is serious business for the Vols players but Hoops for Hope gave them a chance to enjoy the game in a simpler form while giving something back to the community.
“I was super young, coming to camps and having older guys show me the ropes, being around and embracing us,” Harris said. “So being able to come back and do it with those kids just means the world.”
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Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Tennessee basketball players said about volunteering with Hoops for Hope
