"The Real" - Spotlight on LeVelle Moton - A Double-Goal Coach
"THE REAL" is a program that Coach Moton instituted to capture his players attention and to impact his players point of view about life. "Our primary responsibility {as coaches} is to build men, young men into men. I wanted real stories, raw and uncut." Moton wanted his players "to hear about the hardships of life, the great and finer things in life and how to respect it," and for them to learn the steps necessary to sustain whatever success in life they are able to achieve. To accomplish these goals, Moton selected four dynamic speakers from vastly different backgrounds; Patrick Douthit ("9th Wonder), Rodney Rogers, Julius Dillard, and Tanisha Bagley.
“Opportunity does knock at every door, but it's never been known to pick a lock." - Clarence "Big House" Gaines
"THE REAL" is about opportunity, how to nurture a talent, how to take advantage of your talents when opportunity presents itself, and how to sustain, appreciate, respect and be thankful for that talent once its allowed to shine. Take nineteen minutes of your life and watch "THE REAL." You won't regret it!
Coach Moton selected Patrick Douthit, better known as "9th Wonder" to be the first speaker for "THE REAL." "9th Wonder" is a NCCU alumnus and noted hip-hop record producer. 9th's core message is that "chance favors the well prepared." His 1,198 beats story reminded me of a blog (The Quietness of Success) I wrote that highlighted an Owen Cook speech that said "success is like a quiet daily set of tasks, real small, real real small." After making 1,198 beats, he was able to share his talents with Jay Z and nailed Jay Z's 30 minute challenge of creating a beat from R. Kelly's "A Woman's Threat." He not only picked the locked, he knocked the damn door down! Truly, chance does favor the well prepared, and one must cultivate their craft through hard work and perseverance.
Selecting Tanisha Bagley, the author of The Price of Love; One woman's journey through Domestic Violence, to speak to his players was an inspired choice by Coach Moton. All young men should be sensitized to a woman's point of view, especially one who has experienced the darker side of men. Tony Porter's "The Man Box - A Call to Men" is a must read blog by me on the subject and a must see video by Porter. "The Man Box" is a box of qualities that most men adhere to at the cost of their humanity. The challenge that we have as men is to break outside of this self imposed box. Bagley's story about how she was able to escape her domestic violence situation is riveting and her message about trust and forgiveness is equally compelling. "How do I know the next man is not the right man if I'm treating him like the old man."
Julius Dillard had the lowest profile of any of the speakers, but his story resonated with the players because many know of guys like him in their 'hood' who went to prison trying to make a quick and illegal buck. Dillard presents a raw vision of prison, a place where he never wanted his kids to visit him. He speaks of going to prison when his daughter was in the womb of his fiance and getting out when she was a sophomore in high school. That's 16 years behind bars, in a place that isn't concerned about your rehabilitation or education; where you will either work for them or sit in a 6x9 until you decide to work for them. Dillard's story of taking control of his life in prison, educating himself and starting programs to impact himself and the life of other prisoners is exemplary, and paved the way for him becoming a thriving member of society once he was released from that 6x9 cell.
Rodney Rogers is well known in basketball circles for his dominant career as a collegian at Wake Forest University and his stellar career (12 years) with various teams in the NBA. What is easily forgotten is the moment on November 28, 2008 that would change the course of Rogers' life forever, because on that day he was involved in a dirt bike accident that would paralyze him for the rest of his life. Rogers message is gripping and thoughtful. Rogers speaks of his accident and counsels the players to utilize their talents to the best of their abilities and to not take anything for granted. But the strength of his message has very little to do with his accident, but totally revolves around the brotherhood of sports, teammates. ACCOUNTABILITY! Rogers message on the importance of teammates being accountable to one another resonates strongly with me - "Y'all brothers now, not just friends, because you're now a family. We (2002-04 New Jersey Nets) hung together. We made sure we held each other accountable. If you're going to fight one, you have to fight the rest of us. When we got to practice, we took it seriously, we pushed each other very hard, no matter what, sometimes we almost wanted to fight each other, but we knew we were only trying to pull the best out of each other, so we could be winners." WOW! "Y'all just make sure y'all take care of each other, watch each other's back. Coach can only do so much, he can only protect y'all against so much stuff that goes on. Y'all can help each other out by watching each other's back - making sure everybody do the right thing at the right place at the right time. Hold each other accountable." DOUBLE WOW!! DOUBLE GOAL!!
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