Mentoring can happen anywhere, just ask the officers from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Police Department who found their opportunity to mentor on the basketball court.
The opportunity came during a Dec. 9 Unity Basketball Game that brought students from the Brother 2 Brother group, an association of men of color residing on campus, into friendly competition against campus police officers during a game hosted at the Student Fitness Center, an SIUE release said.
Though the police team lost 62-50 against the students, Police Chief Kevin Schmoll said the game “was more than just an athletic event,” the release said.
Director of University Housing Michael Schultz
“It was an opportunity to bring together police, students and the campus community, and to see the police officers outside of work,” Schmoll said in the release “I hope it was a great learning experience for the students to take the meaning of unity and working together and build on that for the future.”
Schmoll and his officers were coached by Rex Jackson, associate director of residence life. The Brother 2 Brother team, coached by Director of University Housing Michael Schultz, consisted of Maurice Hursey, Brandon Thomas, Derrick Brown, Trevon Bosley, Diego Espinoza, Trevahn Williams, James Horne and Iván Cruz Solis.
Alerts Sign-up