GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — "He's the reason that my skin color can really play with other people, like other skin colors. So without him and God, we really wouldn't be in this position right now," said Cam Ryans.
Saturday's tournament was about more than just basketball. The 9th annual Ottawa Hills MLK hoops classic brought together teams and players from all walks of life.
"It's important because we want people to remember Dr. King's legacy and what he stood for. He stood for unity, amongst all races, creeds and colors, and I think the number one thing is that we can all come together because on the basketball court, it doesn't matter what color you are. Black, White, Hispanic, we can all play the same sport. We all compete. We all bleed the same colors on the inside, and we should all represent brotherly love," said Ottawa Hills Head Coach Derrick King.
With players from Grand Rapids, Metro Detroit and Chicago, players like Shamon Jarrett are proud to celebrate Dr. King's legacy and play against new faces.
"He really stood up for the community and stuff. Like pushing for better rights and showing us that we could do better as a Black community," said Ottawa Hills senior Shamon Jarrett.
"Especially as a black athlete, it means a lot to me. I think putting this on shows us what he did for us, and play the sport together with the whole community around us," said EJ Ryans.
"I try to see people through their personality and not their skin color, I think about that a lot. I go to a very diverse school and I love it every day. There are different kind of skin colors, but no one really sees it," said Cam Ryans.
For the coaches, the lessons that Dr. Martin Luther King taught is something that they try to teach their players, not only for when they're on the court, but for when their playing careers are over.
"Being peaceful in all actions. Being non-violent. Making sure that we can settle things respectfully on the court and in the battle, but also off the court as well," said King.
"Life's bigger than basketball, and who are you going to be after that? It's been something that's been with our program since I got here, and our kids have really taken it over. I'm really proud of our kids and the people they are than the players that they are," said Northview coach David Chana.
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