No reading, no hoop: New program lets city kids 'Dare to Dream'

By Hector Longo
Staff Writer

July 23, 2008 03:09 am

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LAWRENCE — For a lot of seventh- and eighth-grade boys, summer reading lists remain about as fun as a midafternoon thunderstorm.

Lawrence High boys coach Paul Neal is banking that basketball can change that attitude.

With plenty of help from the Lawrence Public Schools, the YMCA, Hoops for Hope and a handful of other supporters, Neal has authored the "Dare to Dream" summer reading/basketball program for junior high students in the city.

More than 120 athletes, coming from all nine junior highs in the city, have devoted five weeks of their summer to the program, which runs five days a week.

Neal sought a day program for the city's young men to help keep them busy and on a positive track. The first resource he tapped were his current players, who work and get paid for not only coaching the younger athletes but for proctoring their two-hour class sessions.

"They're learning, too, as they work," said Neal. "They have to be in the classroom every day, setting the example for the younger kids. They're not going to just take the money and blow it. All the players were taken down to the bank to open accounts."

The coaches take their jobs seriously.

"I coach the Frost (School); we're undefeated right now," said junior Jason Pimentel. "I like the kids. You respect them, and they are going to respect us because of it."

The program is pretty simple. Neal went to the junior high schools, offering them a chance to make their own teams. The response was overwhelming with 10 teams formed.

Before the players even see the court each day, they spend two hours in class.

"We have to be role models," said sophomore Jose "Mikey" Herrera. "I wasn't sure I'd be into it, but it's pretty fun coaching them. You would have thought the last thing they would want to do is read, but I set the example. I read, and they seem to follow what I do. If I wasn't here, I'd probably just be sleeping.

"Working, doing something positive is a lot better than just hanging around."

Most choose to knock off those pesky summer reading assignments under the direction of professional teachers, paid for and provided by the Lawrence Public Schools.

No reading, no hoop. It's not negotiable.

A stop at the summer lunch program and it's off to the outdoor hard court at the O'Neil Playground, behind the Oliver School, where five games are held Monday through Thursday.

On Fridays, Neal sets up field trips. A recent one went to Canobie Lake Park, but the boys are learning on the road, too.

In order to be eligible for Canobie, the junior high schoolers had to spend a morning at a "Scared Straight" program provided at the Essex County correctional facility in Middleton.

The hoop can be pretty serious, too, despite Neal's attempts to keep things strictly fun on the court. The Lawrence High student-athletes basically run the on-court show, from noon to 5 p.m. every day.

"I needed something to do for the summer; my brother insisted I play," said David Berroa, who plays for the undefeated Frost School team. "I probably would have just chilled with the family instead of being here. I would have been bored.

"We do what we have to do with the reading. When it's time to play ball, we play."

Berroa got a nudge into the program by his big brother, varsity hoopster Jose. Five extra weeks in the classroom weren't exactly appealing to David.

"I'm not a great reader, but this helps, and I try as hard as I can," he said. "Even though I don't like to read, I do it because it can get me somewhere in life. I know that."

Neal does not discriminate in this summer program. He opened it to any seventh- or eighth-grade boy in the city, provided he willing to put in the class work. Even a couple of hungry sixth-graders have slid in. How could Neal say no?

Not everyone is on track to play at Lawrence High, either.

"We've got kids going to Central Catholic and other schools — that's fine, too," said Neal, who also got the YMCA to grant every student in the program a free summer membership. "The kids need this."

Considering how quickly this program came together, Neal sees plenty of room for growth.

An upgrade of the dilapidated court from the city folks would help. And next year, Neal said, he'd love to find a way to invite girls into the fold as well.

"These kids need some fun in the summer, and they need to stay busy," said Neal. "This is a positive. And we'd love to keep it going in the right direction."

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