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by Phillip Barnett / @imsohideous
Last Saturday, Kevin Martin, athletic trainer Idan Ravin and Jordan Brand continued their Breakfast Club tour in Los Angeles with some of the best high school athletes in the area.
For two days, Idan Ravin put the local high school stars through grueling NBA workouts. On the third, the high school kids took what they learned and helped lead 50 Boys and Girls club members with the help of Ravin and Martin.
“First of all, it’s not all about just basketball,” said Martin on the Breakfast Club program. “In the world we live in, it wouldn’t hurt if everyone could give a helping hand, and I think that’s what Jordan Brand prides itself on. What we did today was the Breakfast Club with the Boys and Girls Club in L.A. What we were doing was showing them some on the court skills and also some discipline skills that they can take out into the world. That’s what it’s all about: Paying it forward to younger people, and when they get older they can pay it forward to guys and girls who come after them.”
Paying it forward was a key theme during Saturday’s events. After footwork, dribbling and shooting drills, Martin gave a speech to the kids about the importance of giving back. He spoke about how there were several people who helped him along his path to the NBA and how important it is for him to give back whenever he can. He directed his attention to the high school kids and told them that it’ll be important for their community to teach the skills they learned during the two days of workouts to the younger kids wanting to be in the same position.
What really makes the Breakfast Club come together from city to city is the presence of trainer Idan Ravin, who has worked out an endless list of NBA superstars including the likes of Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Blake Griffin. Having worked with some of the League’s elite, he knows the kind of work that high school kids need to put in.
“It’s commitment, it’s tenacity, it’s stubbornness, it’s effort, it’s not doing it the way everyone else does it. I think getting kids up early in the morning, getting them to do some drills—and even if the drills aren’t that complicated, it’s taking those drills home and working on themselves. It’s kind of creating a program and a regimen with all of this,” said Ravin.
Grant Jarrett of La Verne Lutheran High School has committed to play for the University of Arizona in 2013 and was among the 10 high school kids invited to work out the Breakfast Club. Idan opened his eyes to the work NBA athletes go through on a daily basis.
“I got out of it that NBA players really take their job serious. They stay in the gym for hours and put in hard work. Getting trainers that put you to the limit and telling you negative things like, ‘Your jump shot is wrong’ to get you better. Doing that makes me realize what I need to do to get better so I can get to that next level. We went through NBA workouts. It’s really tense and really serious—there was no joking around at all,” said Jarrett.
“You can learn a lot just by doing things like this, being in the community,” said Martin. Like I told you, Jordan Brand always makes giving back their first priority. It’s just important to be a part of groups like that to help the kids in our community during these tough times. It’s not only tough times for us adults, but it also hurts our children. I’m just happy to be able to do this.”
The Breakfast Club moves its tour to New York City on August 25-27. For more information, feel free to check out nike.com/jumpman23.
