Group of JCPS coaches providing basketball players opportunities to learn life skills

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A group of Jefferson County Public Schools coaches is teaching their players basketball skills and life skills that will help pave the way to success later in life. 

The boys basketball teams from two Louisville high schools — Waggener and Atherton — are heading to Michigan for a basketball tournament next week thanks to a group of 40 coaches who formed a nonprofit called KCARE. 

KCARE (Kentucky Coaches Advancing Racial Equity) is a nonprofit group formed two years ago that strives to "improve race relations and break down stereotypes and racial equity barriers." Waggener High School assistant boys' basketball coach Michael McDonald is president, and Doug Bibby, the boys' basketball head coach and college algebra teacher at Central High School, serves as vice president. The coaches formed the group in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death to provide more support for their players, and some even took part in racial protests. 

The coaches also want to be advocates and mentors for their players as they attempt to show them what life can be like after high school with a college degree or a career path.

Atherton head coach Mark Tudor said he gets a lot of personal satisfaction by mentoring his players in KCARE. 

"It's the most enjoyable thing of my job is knowing I can help kids that maybe at home don't have the same family surroundings that I grew up in or that other kids get to grow up in," he said. "And to show them that there's a different way to go about things, there's different things out there that you can go see and do because everybody can go do it."

While in Michigan, the teams will visit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, where they will have an opportunity to kayak, climb dunes and swim. 

Waggener head coach Bryan O'Neill believes the trip will provide the players with a different racial perspective.

"They've got to interact with young men who live in a community where it's like 96% white," he said. "And getting to bring those young men together, we feel like we're starting to break down barriers."

Chris Talbott, a senior who plays for Atherton, is looking forward to the trip.

"I'm a little nervous and excited," he said. "It seems like it'll be a fun trip. Coach and me have been discussing it the past couple days."

Two years after the group was started, KCARE has already gotten its members together with with Division I college coaches, police officers, and other community leaders to "establish a dialogue and motivation for black players, many of whom lack a strong support system at home and have witnessed or been a victim of violence in their communities."

The goal is to create opportunities for the players after they finish playing high school and/or college basketball by helping them develop life and career skills. Bibby — who has coached NBA players Rajon Rondo, D’Angelo Russell, and Jay Scrubb — knows most players will not be able to make basketball a career.

"Out of every 10,000 high school basketball players, only two or three make it to the pros," Bibby said in a written statement. "I encourage my players to dream big and work hard, but I also try to get them thinking about college, career readiness, and being a role model for the next generation."

McDonald said next week's trip is about bringing "together black and white players to break bread together, experience nature, and compare life notes."

The nonprofit group needs donations to continue its mission. If you'd like to help, click here.

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