“Thankful and Joyful”: Spurs Return the Favor to Davis Middle School

SAN ANTONIO — Thirty middle-school-aged girls chased after the San Antonio Spurs’ Coyote at a quarter till 8 p.m.

The entirety of the hour prior, Frost Bank Center was lit up and functional, yet it was empty. Only a few team employees and an Ashley representative filled the large space, carefully setting up beds and gift bags for the screaming children who would be running into the concourse without a care in the world.

The 19,000-seat arena might have been empty for the time being, but only in terms of people. The ringing holiday spirit made sure of that.

Between the flashing lights from the lit-up “Hope to Dream” sign, the distant chatter from the team eating dinner with Tre Jones, Doug McDermott and Julian Champagnie and the signage around the arena welcoming S.J. Davis to an “ultimate dream experience,” things felt a little different in Spursland.

Different, yet still, oddly familiar.

Thump, thump, thump. “Go Spurs, Go!” 

Thump, thump, thump. “Go Spurs, Go!”

As quickly as the girls had left from their clinic with the Spurs staff and players, they returned. San Antonio’s coyote led the pack from the concourse to the court with a simple three-beat cadence as each girl’s eyes lit up at the scene.

For the Spurs, Frost Bank Center and San Antonio were home. For S.J. Davis, only the latter was true. But on this particular December night, that changed. Both were true.

“Growing up, I remember going to events like this,” McDermott said. “You remember those times. I still [recall] going to my first Timberwolves game and meeting some of the players. That just has a lasting impact on a kid.”

Safe to say, the 30 girls from S.J. Davis and their families got an evening to remember. But it meant much more than just some gifts and some skills training. To them, it was everything.

It was a dream come true.

Picking the Perfect School

If you ask the team, giving back to one middle school is just a small part of a larger-scale mission of community outreach.

It makes sense. Part of what makes the San Antonio Spurs stick out is their commitment to their city. To San Antonio. There’s a deep mutual love between the fans and the players, which isn’t something that every NBA franchise can say.

But the Spurs can. And S.J. Davis was a prime example of that.

“The community means everything to us,” McDermott said of the Spurs’ community impact. “We’re the only show in town. Everyone loves the Spurs, and we want to keep that going. We want to always have a positive impact on the community to show that we’re good role models.

“I couldn’t say more good things about the Spurs and how active they are in the community.”

The framework was always there. San Antonio has a loyal fanbase and a strong reason to give back. Remember that mutual love? McDermott couldn’t help but touch on it.

“We just love coming out,” he said. “All of these girls support us at games, whether they’re at home watching on TV or in person. They come out and show us love, so we want to do the same thing. We want to help as much as we can.”

So, the Spurs knew they wanted to host a community outreach event and they knew they wanted it to be part of a partnership with Ashley Furniture — one of their long-time sponsors.

Thus, the surprise bed giveaway was born.

“Our goal was to provide [S.J. Davis] with an experience that they’ll remember for their lives,” Ashley Furniture Community & Engagement Marketing Specialist Rebecca Peech said. “Our goal here was to provide a bed for the children who didn’t have one and to focus on team connection and belonging.”

The Spurs would host a middle school girls basketball team and treat them to dinner, a skills clinic, a Q&A and a surprise giveaway. That much was known.

As it turns out, it was almost a no-brainer for both parties. Former head coach Jason Leonard — yes, he knows how his last name sounds — was given a call by the Spurs’ Yolanda Perez with a proposition: an evening at Frost Bank Center for his former team.

“I was like, of course!” Leonard said, recounting the spontaneous conversation. “It’s the season to give. These are good kids and they work hard, so I wanted to give them something to show we appreciate them.”

S.J. Davis, led by their new head coach Aaron Lopez, happily accepted the invitation, and on Tuesday, Dec. 12 the Cougars were the most important people in the building just one night prior to the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers coming to town.

“We don’t get a lot of this stuff,” Lopez said of the experience. “So, it’s very helpful to them because it shows them that the Spurs are willing to give. A lot of the time, they feel left out, but with this, I hope it gives them a chance to feel seen.

“For them to know that there’s always someone out there that cares.”

The Spurs got to play the role of givers to the middle school, but with as much kind-spirited energy that filled the arena that night, it wasn’t just the girls who got something out of the evening.

The players did, too.

“Not every crowd is like San Antonio’s,” McDermott said. “We’re super blessed.”

Old Faces and New Memories

Jason Leonard hadn’t been S.J. Davis’ coach in two seasons.

It wasn’t because he was fired or because of his lack of interest, but rather because of a newly-embarked career choice. Leonard was transitioning into an administrator role within the school district, and as such, he had to give up the reins of a program right on the precipice of high achievement.

But even without the head coach title, Leonard made sure to stick around. He wanted to continue to leave an impact on his players beyond seeing them every day for practice.

“I still come around and show my face,” Leonard said. “You know, I make sure that the kids are still working hard and still being respectful. I have relationships with [the kids], so [I like] showing my face and just letting them know that I’m still here and still support them.”

So, Leonard made sure to attend the Spurs’ “Hope to Dream” event.

“I was smiling all day,” he said. “It was good to come [see] some of their smiles, too.”

As Julian Champagnie drilled chest passes with the girls, Tre Jones worked with them on their balance and short-range jumpshot and Doug McDermott helped them with layup form and execution. All 30 girls participated in stations, switching every few minutes to get to spend time with each player and work on each skill.

“The Spurs [were] amazing,” Peech said. “This team is a team who really cares. You can see it in just the quality of programming they did … with the picking of the school and the [set-up].”

It didn’t matter how young the girls were, or that they weren’t boys hoping to make the NBA. Each player treated them with the same respect and relished in an opportunity to teach them the game of basketball. That was their common ground.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy,” McDermott said. “This is an awesome sport where everyone can come together. [Tuesday] was just a great night for us to come out and support the girls.”

As the girls drilled with the players, Leonard watched. He paced around the gym, interacting with the girls who were once his own players and the smile on his face never left. And when they were done playing basketball, his smile only got wider.

“Some of them came and took pictures with me,” Leonard said. “It was [nice] to know that they still care about me like I care about them.”

In that moment, the former coach got the validation he hoped for. Not only had he been given the opportunity of a lifetime to teach 30 girls basketball, but he knew that he’d left a lasting impact. He had made a positive difference in their lives.

He was a role model.

“It’s always about community,” Leonard said. “Just about bringing people together and giving back. That’s what got me out of the neighborhood that I grew up in. Having a mentor and [someone] to give back.

“It’s always a good thing.”

Leonard was an old face that day, but he got to experience new memories with his former players. Champagnie, Jones and McDermott were the opposite. They were new faces — in person, at least — who got to be a part of the same experience.

But new faces or not, the girls couldn’t have been happier. That much was clear.

‘Grateful and Happy’

S.J. Davis Middle School boasts reining district tournament champions.

For a small school on the East-Side of San Antonio, that’s not an easy feat. Not only does it involve beating out every team in-and-around the area, but also rallying together enough to do it as a team.

And Lopez’ squad? It did both.

The girls of S.J. Davis didn’t have the nicest gear or the latest technology, but they didn’t need it. They just needed each other, which Lopez duly noted.

“Teamwork,” he said. “And coming back [when you’re] down in the hole. That’s how we won districts. It was pretty much the teamwork.”

Now gearing up for his second season at the helm of the program, Lopez knows the pressure of playing top-notch basketball two seasons in a row. He’s confident in his team, though seeing his players full of joy while sitting in clusters at center-court of Frost Bank Center was reassuring.

Each of the girls unwrapped a gift-package from San Antonio complete with City Edition warmups, some new Nike shoes and some other swag for their use both on the court and in the hallways. And they, like Leonard and Lopez, couldn’t stop smiling.

“They’re for sure going to wear that stuff every day,” Lopez said. “They’ll find a way to work it into their [practice] outfits.”

Beyond the fancy gear and the updated shoes, however, watching his players celebrate with each other was a larger-than-life moment for Lopez.

“My favorite part about coaching is building a relationship with the kids,” he said. “It was cool seeing their faces and giving them a little gift.”

But as much as it meant to Lopez, the same could be said of the team. The girls.

And the community.

“We’re really grateful,” Lopez said. “It means a lot to the girls, especially coming from the East Side of San Antonio and having the bad rep we get. Those people don’t see this stuff and the group of girls that we have. They’re good kids.

I’m sure they’re really, really grateful. And happy. They’re grateful and happy.”

So, just like that, a night that Champagnie, Jones and McDermott could have been spent preparing for the first of two bouts with the Lakers turned into a night that went beyond basketball. It was a chance for the Spurs to show love to a community and not only make their night, but provide beds to kids in need for many nights in the future.

“I’m incredibly honored to do the work that I do” Peech said. “To see the families come out to experience and watch their girls shine, it’s incredibly rewarding.

“I want them to [feel] seen,” she added. “And know that they matter, that they have power, choice and that we care about them. … I think we did that.”

If you ask the Spurs, giving back to the girls of S.J. Davis was just a small part of a large mission to serve the San Antonio community. If you ask Ashley, it was the least it could do. If you ask the players themselves, mixing basketball into a festive night only made it that much more memorable.

It was special to everyone involved, but none more than S.J. Davis, its players and its coaches. To them, there was nothing more important than that Tuesday night.

That night was a dream come true.

“It’s real big to know that other people do care about kids from the East side,” Leonard said. “It’s just kind of how the Spurs give back to [our school]. It’s big for them to continue to show us love and show the kids love.”

GET MORE NEWS HERE