IN THE DARK

   A TEACHER SHARES HER STORY ON WHY SHE’S A BASKETBALL COACH .

Coach Thompson A coach at Jersey Village Highschool, states that she loves basketball, and it was her favorite sport growing up as a kid.

 Thompson says “it’s like a safe haven” for her because she did not grow up in a pleasant household.

 She wanted to teach kids how basketball saved her life. I asked if she thinks that her team would be able to come to her and tell her anything and feel safe when telling her, she says yes they can. “I haven’t had an issue with kids coming to me, and I hold some good conversations.”

Thompson says basketball saved her life and kept her busy instead of being involved in gangs. “ Basketball for me was to keep me out of the streets , because where I grew up you were either going to sell drugs, be on drugs, end up in a gang or dead. Basketball was an outlet for me so I could stay off the streets”.

She says  unfortunately she has seen and been in multiple drive bys as a kid. She also says that she has lost lots of friends due to the drive by and gang violence. Being around gangs and growing up in poverty,and watching people sell drugs ,and use dope and get killed was a lot.”