CofC basketball team builds bond with local elementary school

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The downtown elementary school is a place full of stories like the one about principal Roshon Bradley and his first conversation with College of Charleston head coach Earl Grant.

"We just talked so much about the Lord and studying the Bible and then we talked about family. He talked about his sons and I talked about my seven kids and just understanding that family is really important to us." Bradley said. 

The kids at Sanders-Clyde Elementary are important to him too, so their principal proposed this story...

"Hey let's get some of your basketball players over to the school."

When they arrived the kids were in awe.

"Those little kindergarteners and first graders look up and go 'Wow!'" Bradley said.

And they left an impression on the kids who were in awe of how big the players were.

A height matched only by the kids' attention.

"When those players are reading to our students, you can see them listening to intent." said Bradley

One of those books, Hey Black Child. A story encouraging black kids to go after their dreams.

"It's so important for kids to see you know reading's not a thing for everybody. There are not very many books that have black children in it that looks like them." Rachel Jordan, a teacher at the school said.

Which made this one all the more powerful.

"They came and they read and it made such a huge impact on the kid's lives. They won't know how much it means to these kids. They'll remember that forever..just that basketball players, who they've seen on the smartboard, on TV, were in their classroom." Jordan said.

Reading a story with a happy ending all the while writing a real life one of their own.