Meet the Future of New Bedford: Using Basketball to Educate our Youth
by Raquel Reis
In the wonderfully diverse city of New Bedford, every individual emerges from their youth with a unique story to tell. Despite these differences in native areas of the city, ethnicity, and experiences, Coaches Matt Hill and Jordan Pina of New Bedford High School are working to develop a youth mindset centered around pride as an athlete and as a citizen of New Bedford. This pride is not a product of arrogance nor boastfulness; rather, it focuses on showing youth that each of them shine because of their uniqueness and radiate even brighter when those individuals become part of a team focused on elevating the city of New Bedford as a whole.
In their founding of the Future of New Bedford, Hill and Pina have captivated youth from elementary school to high school, engaging them in the sport of basketball, which to every coach and participant in the Future of New Bedford, is so much more than just a game. Craig Baptista, an incoming freshman at New Bedford High and program participant emphasized that because of the ways that Hill and Pina have impacted him, he too believes “I can make an impact on kids lives one day” as a “proud Whaler and NB citizen.” Craig, and all of the other ballers of Future of NB have adapted to the idea that in both basketball and life, selflessness is not an option and to be a competitor is to both learn from and challenge those surrounding you.
As Pina and Hill strive to have athletes realize their own potential, they are simultaneously displaying the potential New Bedford High School has to turn a young child into a respectable person who the Whaler family is proud to call one of their own. One of Pina’s own varsity athletes, rising junior Kennedy Franklin, narrates that by engaging with high school coaches at a young age “not only did it help with my future in basketball but also my future as a Whaler.” Kennedy has by now outgrown the youth camp yet continues to help coach the younger athletes of the program as they too develop their determined and passionate identity as a New Bedford Whaler.
Being both dedicated coaches and genuine people, Hill and Pina set an example that is contagious. In just one of the many instances, the NBHS basketball coaches have chosen their love of their players over the convenience of giving up. Recently a new challenge was presented.. As coronavirus floods the nation, Future of NB’s annual basketball camp, athlete Tatum Reis describes as “the best week of the summer,” unfortunately could not take place. With this, many people would have chosen the easy option and simply stopped at “see you next summer.” At Future of NB that level of mental and physical laziness is not welcome. Hill and Pina made the decision to adapt, improvise and overcome, hosting zoom workouts and constantly reminding their athletes that when faced with adversity, giving up is not an option. Youth of many ages, from all over the city, dribbled, sweated, and embraced their soreness together. The screen between each player was no match for the camaraderie that has been built at Future of NB because the whaler family can never be separated at the heart.
Future of New Bedford is developing high level basketball players into highly respectable citizens. Hill and Pina made no mistake in choosing the future to focus on; as their athletes become adults they want to make sure that determination, respect, and pride are a part of all of their stories. See @futureofnewbedford for more info on why every NB youth community member deserves to have a chance at having ball handles and a handle on their Whaler and personal pride.