The Capital City Go-Go, the Washington Wizards G-League affiliate team, visited John H. Burr Gymnasium to host an open practice scrimmage, followed by a post-practice networking session for Howard University students.
The event was held on Friday, Oct. 31 and began with students having the opportunity to watch the Go-Go players in a 20-minute scrimmage. Following the scrimmage, the networking session gave Howard students the chance to speak with professionals who work with the Go-Go and the Washington Wizards.
From front office operations to marketing, students were separated into groups by their career aspirations, allowing them to receive specialized information.
As a professional team based in an underserved community like Washington, D.C., basketball success isn’t their only mission. Go-Go head coach Cody Toppert saw this event as an opportunity to fulfill the team’s commitment to community outreach.
“We want to be a bigger part of the community in general,” Toppert said. “Anytime we can [partner with Howard] is only going to help us further that goal of making us feel a part of the community, but more importantly, making the community feel a part of what we’re doing.”
During the scrimmage, Toppert took a step back to allow the Go-Go assistant coaches to apply their coaching skills, practice being heard by the players, and improve their overall coaching voices.
Toppert said he wants to highlight the initiatives of historically Black colleges and universities. He recognizes how much these institutions pour into their students, providing them with ample opportunities to succeed, and he wants his players to see that as well.
“There are so many great things that are going on at HBCUs across the country,” Toppert said. “Specifically, here at Howard, with the connections, with the alumni, with the whole cultural impact of it, we want our guys to get a better understanding of that.
“When you look at what Howard men’s basketball has been doing with their student manager program, with connecting up and trying to help as many students as possible find their footing, anything we can do to help further that is a win-win for everybody.”
Jonathan Wall, the Go-Go’s general manager, hopes to expand those opportunities for students by making the team accessible. He encourages students to stay connected with the team by coming to the games, where they can make special connections.
“G-League games are great because you don’t have a lot of the restrictions of NBA games,” Wall said. “We usually stay after, the players stay after, and I’m open to having conversations after games.”
The Howard men’s basketball program has deep ties to Monumental Sports, the company that owns D.C. area professional teams like the Washington Wizards and the Capital City Go-Go. Howard men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney detailed the relationship between Howard and the Wizards organizations.
“We’ve always been really trying to develop that relationship with them,” Blakeney said. “The relationship with their front office, these are all lifelong relationships that we have with their organization.”
Blakeney said he feels that Howard men’s basketball has a special tie to Washington, D.C. as “D.C.’s university basketball program.” They often get opportunities to interact with this organization, and this event was a natural progression of that established connection.
Harrison Brown, a sophomore sport management major, said he had high hopes for the event and looked forward to gaining valuable insight into the field of professional sports.
“I hope to take away some new connections, either students or executives,” Brown said. “I just hope to learn from anybody and everybody that’s here.”
The event allowed the Howard men’s basketball team to see a new perspective on how to approach the game, graduate guard Bryce Harris said. The open scrimmage let the players see what professional basketball players look like, up close and personal.
“If you wanna be a professional, you have to pretty much obsess over the game and think about basketball 24/7,” said Harris, a marketing major. “When you’re able to come and see people who are in places that you wanna be in, you get to see their habits and what makes them professional. This definitely inspires us for sure.”
Go-Go guard Keshon Gilbert said inspiring the men’s basketball team is fulfilling the goals he has for himself. He said he understands the importance of having a positive figure to model after.
“Growing up, I didn’t really have anybody to look up to or somebody to put a hand on my shoulder,” Gilbert said. “I always try to be there for the younger generation, just trying to give them guidance.”
Though the event was catered to Howard students, coaches benefited by gaining valuable coaching experience, while Go-Go players achieved their goals of inspiring the emerging generation.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
