Sports 08-22-2018

NBA Great Dana Barros Visits summer basketball Championship Night

Former Boston Celtics and Boston College basketball star Dana Barros made a special at the championship games of the Revere Parks and Recreation Summer Basketball League at the Harry Della Russo Stadium courts.

Barros, accompanied by Mayor Brian Arrigo, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hinojosa, and Revere Parks and Recreation Sports and Fitness Director John Leone, talked basketball with the many players who participated in the popular outdoor hoop league.

Revere High boys basketball head coach David Leary was among the many interested spectators at the exciting games that determined the champions in each age division.

 

Veteran Alex Stone connects service members to college sports

By Kate Anslinger

Alex Stone, of Winthrop, finds passion in helping athletes who are veterans, navigate their way through college sports. In 2016, Stone launched Athletes of Valor, an organization that provides veterans with the tools needed to transition from active duty service to college athletics. As a veteran himself, Stone’s desire to help vets is one that stems from his own personal story of being an athlete who enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving from 2004 until 2008.

“I always wanted to serve and I knew that I needed to grow up before I went to college,” said Stone, who completed two deployments while assigned to an infantry unit.

When Stone went to work for Under Armour in 2010, he realized that there were several programs available to high school students looking to further their athletic careers in college, but there were limited resources for veterans. Knowing firsthand that veterans gain invaluable skills and thrive on camaraderie, Stone came up with the idea to provide a platform for veteran athletes who are transitioning to civilian life and want to be a part of college sports.

“These are guys that are 22 and 23 and have real life experience, but no direction for navigating the college recruitment process. Athletes of Valor helps get their foot in the door,” said Stone. “Vets think that because they enter the military, they lose their eligibility for playing college sports, but that’s not true. Once their service has ended, athletes are allowed to play, regardless of age.”

The platform allows the prospective athlete to create a recruitment profile which consists of all the critical information that a college coach would want to see, including highlight films, bios, high school transcripts, and training videos, giving them a means to promote themselves in a seamless way. Once an athlete is signed up, they have their own personalized link that allows them to streamline information directly to college coaches.

Currently there are around 2,000 athletes registered on the platform now, and 100 who are starting their college sports careers this fall. Stone has seen the biggest interest amongst football athletes, but all athletes are encouraged to use the platform as a resource.

“Being part of a team and the camaraderie alone, can be instrumental in a successful graduation,” said Stone.

For more information on Athletes of Valor, see:

www.athletesofvalor.com

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