The Suffolk University Men's Basketball Team visited two local area elementary schools during the week of January 11th.  This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Rams have gotten out to the local schools as a part of Coach Adam Nelson's "Skills and Drills" program. 

The first visit was to the Montclair School in Quincy, where the players visited both a first grade and a third grade class.  In the first grade, the players broke in to small groups and read from Chris Paul's book Long Shot - a story of following your dreams and never giving up. The team then moved on to the third grade where they worked on a math lesson based on a basketball box score.  Finally, both classes came together in the gymnasium for some fun basketball skills and a chance to watch the Suffolk team play. 

The second visit the team made was to the William E. Russell School in Dorchester where the team visited the fourth grade.  The day began with the Suffolk and Russell students working on a box score and answering questions based on their findings.  The most popular question was having the students pick their starting five based on the information they got from tallying the box score.  The groups then went into the school auditorium for some basketball drill and a question and answer session, where the Suffolk student-athletes addressed topics ranging from academics to physical fitness.  

These partnerships have served as a valuable experience for both the Suffolk student-athletes and the children of the elementary schools over the past five years.  The curriculum for the program is developed by Deb Nelson, wife of Head Coach Adam Nelson, who also handles all of the logistics for the visits.