River Hawks Spread Holiday Cheer with Visit to Local School

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's and women's basketball teams recently visited Reilly Elementary School for their monthly Scholar's Day.

"After the success of last year's visit, I knew we had to have the River Hawks at the Reilly every year," said Reilly Principal Ron Fusco. "The student-athletes do an amazing job with our students. When they left, I heard one student remark, 'was that the Lakers?' Our students really look up to them."

The River Hawk student-athletes joined the elementary school children for an afternoon of both entertainment and education. The Division I athletes performed dunks and other tricks, much to the delight of the young fans, before men's basketball sophomore forward Ephraim Acquah (Hagerstown, Md.) gave a speech about making healthy choices.

"To get where you want to go in life, you have to start building healthy habits and that starts with making the right decisions and healthy choices," Acquah explained.

The visit also included a classic game of knockout, some autographs, and lots of high-fives and smiles.

"Visits like this mean everything to me," Acquah commented after the event. "When I was their age, I wish I had something like this, to have college players come talk to us. I know these interactions will impact them for a long time.

UMass Lowell women's basketball senior forward Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) echoed Acquah's sentiments.

"Everyone had a blast today," said Banwareesingh. "It means so much to give back to the next generation. Getting to meet and hang out with these kids at such an influential age is what makes this so worth it."

But the takeaways and life lessons are not just one sided at community events like this school visit, as the college students got as much from it as their younger counterparts.

"Something I've learned is just the value of these moments with these kids," Acquah reflected. "It means the world to them and it means the world to me because of that, so I just love it. Knowing that I'm a role model to kids like this and that everything I do people see encourages me to make sure that I always stay locked in and try to do the right thing."

"Knowing I'm a role model is definitely a checks and balances thing," added Banwareesingh. "The fact that these children could look up to anyone, but they choose me forces me to be the best I can be for them."

The River Hawks look forward to having the students they visited in the stands at a game cheering for them this season, providing just the motivation they need to succeed as conference play gets underway after the holiday break.

"Meeting these children was really motivating to me," concluded Banwareesingh. "Seeing a whole gym full of kids who were so excited to see us is inspiration to keep going every day."

River Hawks Spread Holiday Cheer with Visit to Local School

Players Mentioned

Ephraim Acquah

Kaylen Banwareesingh

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