While the official start of the 2001-2010 basketball season is still days away, the Adelphi University men and women’s basketball teams have been quite busy. While preparing for their first season in the Northeast-10 is paramount on the minds of Head Coaches James Cosgrove and Kelley Watts, they also find time to give back to the community.
The women’s basketball team volunteered their time at the 10th Annual Long Island Walk Now for Autism Speaks at Jones Beach State Park. While they didn’t actually participate in the walk, they did spend their morning providing face painting and temporary tattoos to the children participating in the walk.
“Most of the kids were between 3 and 7 years old and the athletes did a nice job helping to provide a positive atmosphere.” “To put a smile on the kids’ faces was to me just unreal,” Coach Watts said. “Our players got to learn a lot about each other as well and to discover how talented they were artistically.”
This was the third time in past four years that the Panthers have volunteered for the walk. Two years ago they actually participated in the walk, helping to raise over $200 and the year before they were up at the crack of dawn, helping to unload trucks and set up. This year’s event had over 27,000 supporters and raised over $1.1 million.
On Oct. 9, the men’s basketball team hosted a clinic in the Center for Recreation and Sports for Special Needs Unit of the Nassau Police Activity League (PAL).
The Panthers put on a two-hour clinic for approximately 30 young men, participating in various drills and scrimmages. “I am pretty sure our guys and the coaching staff got more out of it than they did,” Head Coach James Cosgrove said. “Those kids were so appreciative of the time we spent with them.”
Coach Cosgrove, who has a long-standing relationship with the Hempstead PAL, became associated with the SNU through Adelphi employee, Frank Simeone, who also happens to be president of the SNU Board as well as a coach of one the teams. The Special Needs Unit of the Nassau County Police Activity League serves children ages 5 through 21 with varying disabilities.
The student-athletes enjoyed their interaction and have already begun to create bonds with some of the players. “We would love to see them at a game and we plan on setting up other clinics similar to this one,” Coach Cosgrove added.
Last Friday night, Adelphi hosted its annual Midnight Madness Celebration to kick off the start of the basketball season.
