Golden State Warriors Offer Incarcerated Men Hope Through Coaching Program
Warriors Basketball Academy, as part of the Twinning Project, is teaching incarcerated men at Solano coaching skills and showing them there is the chance for meaningful transformation in their lives, according to AP News.
The Twinning Project is a partnership between prison and professional football clubs with the objective of twinning every prison in England and Wales with a local professional football club. It has expanded to include US sport teams, such as the Golden State Warriors.
The Twinning Project has given incarcerated men a sense of purpose and a break from the isolation felt by many inmates in prison. Many of the participants shared feeling loved and seen for the first time in years.
“It reintroduced me to my love of basketball, that people on the outside haven’t given up on us,” said Jonquel Brooks, a former Fresno State student. “It’s wanting to coach but not knowing how to coach, then now being given the tools to have the opportunity.”
The men participate in drills like shooting, dribbling, and work on defense. There was also mental training so that the men might learn strategies for situations they encounter in prison or life on the outside.
Jeff Addiego, vice president of Warriors Basketball Academy, and his staff have also been changed by witnessing the program and its effects on the inmates. They were overjoyed to see the men finding meaning in their new roles, according to AP News.
This program works in various ways. For the Warriors, the players and coaches aren’t participating like the European professionals are, though former Golden State big man Festus Ezeli has often visited.
“We’ve gotten to know each and every one of these guys. If one of these guys was anywhere else I would give him a hug the first time I saw him,” Addiego said.
“It’s amazing. We don’t pry or ask them anything, but what they’ve been willing to share with us, it’s powerful stuff.”
The Twinning Project, which began in the UK by pairing professional soccer teams like Arsenal and West Ham United of the Premier League with prisons to contribute to the prisoners’ rehabilitation process. U.S. clubs such as D.C. United, Angel City FC and Miami FC have become involved — and other NBA teams have also shown interest in the program.
It will be interesting to see how the program continues to evolve, “Golden State will be a hard act to follow,” Twinning Project CEO Hilton Freund said.
