By Maggie Brown

As the sun set across the sprawling Chennai skyline, resting the hands of darkness upon the bustling city street corners, I stood motionless amongst a vast sea of children carrying a wave of anxious excitement across their young faces. Sprawled out in a grass field in the heart of one of India’s largest communities, hundreds of children assembled in a familiar world, to engage in an unfamiliar game of basketball, and to learn the concept of integration between education and sport. As my eyes gazed unbelievingly at the astonishing sight unraveling before me, I fought the oncoming urge to breakdown in tears before the very beings that had engrained such joy in the realm of my heart. As the stinging water filled the confines of my blue eyes, I realized that the tears rolled not because of a burning sadness, but because of a joy so astounding that no words can do justice.

Being my second year as a counselor participating in the Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy initiative, I knew that it would not be the solemn sadness of what laid before my eyes that would strike me with the velocity of a commanding lightning bolt. Despite my constant yearning to magically land in a Chennai that differed massively from the Chennai that I departed a short year ago, I accepted that this desperate plea was not feasible in the course of twelve short months. I knew that the extreme socioeconomic hardship of countless Indian children would still illuminate in the night sky, and that the pains of seeing a child go without would stab me in the heart with the force of a bloody dagger. In my heart I already knew, that seeing a barefoot child running wildly towards the fountain providing clean water and working bathrooms could spin me into an irrepressible emotional breakdown – but what I was not prepared for was the breakdown that could come from the power of a single smiling face.

As the first day of the 2014 Crossover camp concluded this evening, there was something magical about the hundreds of faces staring me in the eye, their smiles seemingly stretching across the entirety of India. For a brief second, socioeconomic status did not exist in India. For a brief second, gender separation and inequality did not exist in India. For a brief second, all of India seemed to be one. As I looked across the field of the American International School, I did not see the joyous faces of individuals from across the city of Chennai. Instead, I saw animated faces of leadership, character, teamwork, and communication that were destined to provide the future leadership that the nation of India needed. In the span of three short hours, I went from envisioning a sea of children ready to shoot a basketball for the first time, to standing in front of a sea of children learning what it would take to succeed in their future through the power of Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy.

This vision is what ultimately did it for me, bringing tears to my eyes that were difficult to hold back. At Crossover, we do not aim to formulate a small child into the next big market name to play in the professional basketball ranks. But, we do aim to provide children with the tools that they will need to succeed in the classroom, to succeed at home, and to ultimately succeed in life. As camp came to a close for the first short day, I realized the enormous power in Crossover, and the potential that our group has to truly engage and shape a mass of young children during our quick time in Chennai. Together, we are not here to teach the fundamentals of a slam-dunk, but to teach the fundamentals of a slam-dunk in the classroom and beyond, and to give India’s next generation of leaders the kick-start they need into the realm of lifelong success.

By George Baldini

And finally, after one long year, we’re going back. I’ve been looking forward to this July ever since we touched down in Boston last year. My experience in Chennai was so special to me that I couldn’t go a year without Crossover. In order to sustain this passion, I’ve kept in touch with the coaches and head of Crossover, Shaun. Although losing contact with our campers in India was tough, what really resonated with me was how great of people the coaches are. I didn’t expect I’d develop such close and lasting relationships with them. From hanging out with Jonah at Harvard to spending a day with Kasey at Philips Andover, I’ve kept them in close contact which has helped make this school year back home fly by faster and has gotten me even more excited to return to India with them.

In addition to developing these relationships with my fellow team members, my trip to Chennai helped foster my interest in social justice and economics. I love Crossover’s goal of encouraging success through education and encouraging education through sport – two of my favorite passions. Crossover has helped change my perception of basketball from just a game to a life-changing tool capable of encouraging success in the classroom, in the home, and beyond. By taking advantage of basketball’s important lessons such as leadership, character, teamwork, and communication, you can become a better person in whatever facet of life you choose. You can translate the lessons of tedious preparation before and the fiery determination during a game into your studying routine for a test. You can translate the characteristics of leadership on the court into leadership positions elsewhere such as class president in school. Concerning economics, I couldn’t help but wonder: “look, India has been around as long, if not longer, than some of the leading economic powerhouses in the world. How has India differed in its growth from these other countries? How has India developed such a great disparity between its rich and poor?” Such questions like these spurred my interests in developmental economics.

However, after realizing I had all these new interests, what was I actually going to do with them? And this is where my relationship with Crossover founder and president, Shaun Jayachandran, has been so important to me. He’s helped kindle these interests throughout the year by keeping me involved and asking for my input concerning the growth and change of Crossover. He’s introduced me to all kinds of people with similar interests, so I can learn more. He’s encouraged me to keep all my learning fresh in my mind, so I presented to my school what I did with Crossover last summer and what I’ve learned; I’ve created my own course to take next year on how social justice can be achieved through sport. He helped introduce me to Wheelock College – for whom I’ll be interning this summer to not only help them out but also learn more about these interests.

I could go on forever, but what I’d like to thank my fellow coaches for and what I’d like everyone to know about our team at Crossover before we return to Chennai is how nice, interested, and helpful they are. They’re great friends to hang out with. They’re great coworkers to talk to about how we can improve our program. And they’re the most helpful of advisors to me as I continue to grow in my learning and passion for these lessons Crossover so greatly values.

By Mayank Singh

During my teens, I lived in a small cantonment Wellington in Tamil Nadu. The town had people from various nationalities, as it housed the Defense Services Staff College – an Armed Forces training institute. Every evening, I would to go out to the local club to play basketball with children from different countries. These children had seemingly no common connection — we couldn’t even speak the same language. Yet, we shared a common interest in the game we played. This shared interest seemed to break down all other barriers that existed. For a short period of time, we could communicate with each other through the universal language of the sport –‘basketball’. It was a unique experience for me; was (and still remains to be) one of the motivating factors, which instilled in me a passion for basketball.

My love for basketball made me reach out to Shaun who is the Lead at the Crossover Basketball Academy. This will be my first crossover camp and I hope to be a part of many more to come. I am eager to meet everyone who is coming there –Shaun, Jonah, Varun , all the volunteers and most of all, the kids. The best thing which I love about this concept is the amalgamation of the value of basketball as a sport and the encouragement given to children to become leaders of the future.

In India, the public perception of sports is no more than just an extracurricular activity – – youngsters passionate about sport are instead forced to refocus on academics…and just academics! Having played roles of both – an athlete and a sports administrator – in the Indian sports arena, I have been witness to a lot of issues. With Crossover, I would like to play a larger role in overcoming the issues and help create an ecosystem sports as a career choice thrives. This crossover camp can indeed be the small starting step!

At the camp, I hope to inspire small kids to pursue their passion and leverage the skills developed while learning basketball to grow in their life. Even if I end up inspiring just a single kid to incorporate the values taught at the Camp, it would be an overwhelming achievement for me. And, of course, this could in turn help me grow better personally as well as professionally.

Basketball has taught me a lot of things. I have learnt the most important lessons of my life on the court. I have and still keep incorporating them in every aspect of my being. I have understood the real meaning of teamwork and the importance of respecting the competitors as well as peers. But the most important lesson that I have learnt is ‘Never give up on one’s dreams’! Keep persevering with determination till the last moments of the game. And this is what I intend to pass on to the students!

By George Baldini

And finally, after one long year, we’re going back. I’ve been looking forward to this July ever since we touched down in Boston last year. My experience in Chennai was so special to me that I couldn’t go a year without Crossover. In order to sustain this passion, I’ve kept in touch with the coaches and head of Crossover, Shaun. While I have missed our students, what really resonated with me was how great of people the coaches are. I didn’t expect I’d develop such close and lasting relationships with them. From hanging out with Jonah at Harvard to spending a day with Kasey at Phillips Andover, I’ve kept them in close contact which has helped make this school year back home fly by faster and has gotten me even more excited to return to India with them.

In addition to developing these relationships with my fellow team members, my trip to Chennai helped foster my interest in social justice and economics. I love Crossover’s goal of encouraging success through education and encouraging education through sport – two of my favorite passions. Crossover has helped change my perception of basketball from just a game to a life-changing tool capable of encouraging success in the classroom, in the home, and beyond. By taking advantage of basketball’s important lessons such as leadership, character, teamwork, and communication, you can become a better person in whatever facet of life you choose. You can translate the lessons of tedious preparation before and the fiery determination during a game into your studying routine for a test. You can translate the characteristics of leadership on the court into leadership positions elsewhere such as class president in school. Concerning economics, I couldn’t help but wonder: “look, India has been around longer than some of the leading economic powerhouses in the world. How has India differed in its growth from these other countries? How has India developed such a great disparity between its rich and poor?” Such questions like these spurred my interests in developmental economics.

However, after realizing I had all these new interests, what was I actually going to do with them? And this is where my relationship with Crossover founder and president, Shaun Jayachandran, has been so important to me. He’s helped kindle these interests throughout the year by keeping me involved and asking for my input concerning the growth and change of Crossover. He’s introduced me to all kinds of people with similar interests, so I can learn more. He’s encouraged me to keep all my learning fresh in my mind, so I presented to my school what I did with Crossover last summer and what I’ve learned; I’ve created my own course to take next year on how social justice can be achieved through sport. He helped introduce me to Wheelock College – for whom I am interning this summer to not only help them out but also learn more about these interests.

I could go on forever, but what I’d like to thank my fellow coaches for and what I’d like everyone to know about our team at Crossover before we return to Chennai is how nice, interested, and helpful they are. They’re great friends to hang out with. They’re great coworkers to talk to about how we can improve our program. And they’re the most helpful of advisors to me as I continue to grow in my learning and passion for these lessons Crossover so greatly values.

By Maggie Brown

The ultimate fault in memory lies within the reality of its inevitable decline. As time flies by with the velocity of a traveling train, the mind contorts what could once be recalled as indisputable fact into a bewildering disarray of the moment that we will never again breathe, the sights that we will never again see, and the instant that we will never again call present. As human beings, photographic recollections of the path that our feet have traveled shine brightly for a defined period of time, before inescapably fading into a monstrous sea of darkness, leaving gaping holes in our memories, and erasing a part of our life that can never again be precisely recalled.

As I boarded a plane at the Chennai airport at the end of last July, no fear loomed greater in the immediate realm of my conscience as this – that my journey as a member of the Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy would become a hole of scattered recallable darkness. Returning to the United States, I could recite with exquisite precision every minute detail of our trip, from the sound of the withered dirt crunching under our feet, to the feeling of the midnight haze suffocating my unsuspecting flesh. But, memory is not forever. With time, what would I remember of my initial journey into the bustling streets of an Indian city? Would I recall the faces of a nation’s future, the inexplicable sounds of children laughing as they ran around fostering a love for a game they had only known for a matter of minutes? Or would my memory fade into a blurry cloud of mystery, into an entity that I myself cannot merely explain, providing life to the fears that surfaced as our time in India became a thing of the past?

And yet, the beauty in fear is that it must be fed. Fear cannot swelter alone, and it cannot flourish without nourishment – for a fear to survive, we must provide it with the apprehension that it needs to grow. So, when my first trip to Chennai came to a close, and the months began to pass, I realized that my memory would inevitably fail, but that my fear would not cultivate in accordance with it. I had nothing to fear, because while memory could not last forever, something else could. I could no longer smell the strength of Indian spice as the wind grazed by, and I could no longer feel the touch of hundreds of children anxious to reach for a high-five, but I had something else to reinvigorate the memory that would eventually blur, and it came at the hands of just one of the many people that changed my life forever.

When I begin to question the journey that occurred nearly a year ago, I reach for the letter that was given to me on the last day of camp that jogs my memory back to life.The letter that reads,

Dear Miss,

Tank you for teaching basketball. I love to playing basketball. I will practice each

day until you come back. Next year I want hit rim. You will teach how to make it.

Come back plese.

Sincerely,

S.S.

Because of this letter, I have not feared the fault of memory. Instead, I have embraced it, learned to fill in the dark holes with the concrete writing of a young child from an Indian slum thousands of miles away, reminding myself of the journey that will never fade – a journey that will reignite once again in just twenty-two short days. As a member of the Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy, there is nothing to fear, for together we constitute a familiar bond that cannot be broken, joined together in our hope to change the world.

What we cannot remember, someone else will remember for us, for together we are off to change the world, again and again, until there is nothing left to change.

By Mollie Gillespie

With our departure for India less than a month away, I’m already restless with anticipation. I’ve traveled a bit before, but never so far, and I can’t help but wonder how I’ll be able to endure the long plane rides as I’m sure my excitement, and my restlessness, will only grow from here. Admittedly, though, part of what I’m feeling could be attributed to nerves. I have a bit of experience and I definitely feel like I’m going in prepared – I’ve been a camp counselor for a few summers and I’ve already been part of a couple service trips abroad – but part of me wonders if anything could truly prepare me for this trip.

I’ve never been to India, so my main impressions have arisen from films starring Dev Patel (exactly 2 of them take place in India) or that one Cheetah Girls movie, which I enjoyed more than I’d like to admit. Needless to say, the accuracy of base of knowledge is questionable at best. It has, however, suggested that India can provide somewhat of a sensory overload in the best way possible– the vibrant colors and flavors, the cacophony of the streets, the endless throngs of people.

I won’t be experiencing it all as a tourist, though. More than anything, I’m excited for my role with Crossover. I think back fondly to weeks spent at summer basketball camps. I remember the frustration I felt working through new skills followed by the sense of pride and achievement I felt when I mastered them. I recall all the friendships I made and the great mentors and friends I had in my coaches. I only hope that I can do the same for the kids we’ll be coaching. I’ve been reflecting a lot on the favorite counselors and coaches I’ve had, and what made them so effective. I plan to draw on that to help these kids have a great time-hopefully they’ll enjoy their Crossover experience as much as I’m sure I’ll be enjoying mine.

By Lauren Ball

Twenty one more days until I board a plane to Boston, where my adventure with Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy begins. I first heard about this organization in August of 2013 after I had just returned from studying abroad in northern India. When Crossover teammate Maggie Brown explained to me how this organization uses the game that we love and the values and skills that go along with it to help the communities in a place that I had just so recently come to care about dearly, I knew I had to find a way to be a part of this organization. I am thrilled that the beginning of our journey to Chennai is finally approaching and can’t wait to meet the educators and children that will be apart of our events this year.

As we plan the first Crossover Sport in Education Conference set for July 12, it has been inspiring to see so many different people and organizations from all over come together in a great effort to make this a successful and impactful event. This conference will be a great opportunity to collaborate with the local educators in Chennai to further extend the positive impact Crossover can have on the community. I am excited for this opportunity for our mission to begin to take hold in the community and continue to foster even after we must return to the U.S. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this organization and I can’t wait to see what adventures we have in store this summer in Chennai!

By Varun Ram

To say that I am looking forward to this trip in July would be an understatement. It’s been over 4 years since my last visit to India and I am eager to return. This visit will be unique, however, because it will be the first one without my family. My parents made it a point to take my sister and I back to India every few years throughout our childhood to immerse us in our native culture. We would typically spend 2 to 3 weeks in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, predominantly spending time visiting friends and extended family.

I imagine that I will return from this upcoming trip with a completely different experience under my belt. One major difference between this trip and my previous trips will be dealing with the language barrier. Previously, I had the luxury of having my parents intervene in any conversation with a native speaker in which I struggled to get a point across with my broken Tamil, the native language of Tamil Nadu. Although there will be a translator on the trip, I feel like communication may still be an issue if I don’t brush up on my Tamil prior to the trip.

The second major difference between this trip and any other is the opportunity to use basketball, the game I love, as a vehicle for teaching children the importance of discipline, teamwork, and perseverance among other life lessons. Having been around basketball virtually my entire life, I am aware of the enormous positive impact it has made on my upbringing. It has undoubtedly shaped the person I am today. I am anxious to share the lessons I have learned with children who will benefit both physically and mentally from my experiences and learning the game of basketball. More than that, however, I am excited for the opportunity to learn from the children, my fellow staff members, and other people I meet throughout the course of this trip.

The countdown has started— 23 days!

Nine-Year NBA Veteran Damien Wilkins Traveling To India

BOSTON, Mass – Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy is pleased to announce that nine-year NBA veteran Damien Wilkins will join their Hoops Creating Hope faculty and Crossover Sport in Education Conference starting on July 7, 2014. Wilkins will be joined by Crossover founder Shaun Jayachandran, WSN247 cofounder Carie Small, Phillips Academy cluster dean Raj Mundra, Harvard University basketball junior Jonah Travis, University of Maryland basketball junior Varun Ram, and Emory women’s basketball senior Lauren Ball and freshman Maggie Brown.

“It is a pleasure to travel to India this year to collaborate with Crossover; I am excited, and looking forward to having a positive impact!” said Wilkins. “Basketball has always been an important part of my life, it is the vehicle I used to get my education and more importantly promote the importance of academics.”

The nine-year NBA pro has career averages of 6.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 19.3 minutes in 563 games with Seattle, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Undrafted out of the University of Georgia, Wilkins enjoyed his best season a pro with Seattle in 2007-08 when he averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 76 games (31 starts). He scored a career-high 41 points with a season-high nine rebounds at Atlanta (11/16) that season in addition to notching his 2,000th career point vs. Phoenix (3/19/08).

Wilkins is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins.

Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy (www.crossover-india.org) – is the first non-profit [501(c)3] international education program in India to leverage athletic values and skill as a means to develop academic opportunities for Indian students. The mission of Crossover Academy is to use basketball as a vehicle of change in communities in India by combining the ideas of a sport and imparting the values of leadership, character, teamwork, and communication with the goal of inspiring and preparing those students to continue in their educational pursuits while finding victories in the classroom.

Crossover’s program has grown from an initial 45 students in 2012, to 250 students in 2013, and now 450 students for the summer of 2014. Teach For India has increased its participation from 20 students in 2013 to 210 students in 2014.

This year on July 12, 2014 Crossover will host its inaugural Crossover Sport in Education Conference – a one-day event in collaboration with American International School Chennai open to all school leaders, coaches, and educators in India to attend without cost. This is a chance to go beyond the initial piece of sport being connected to teach life skills and actually show its impact on educational success.

The 2014 Hoops Creating Hope program will take place July 7 – 18 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

By John Gillespie (@JohnG703)

I’m bringing back to the United States the stories of many different kids from numerous different religious, financial, and educational backgrounds. These stories I put together through interacting with these kids for only two weeks have altered my outlook on gratitude, but also showed me how bad things really are in other parts of the world.

It’s one thing to read the statistics on the computer that less than 10% of students in India graduate secondary school, or that the average daily income for the parents of a child attending an Indian public school is under $2 US. It’s another thing to go and visit an overcrowded, timeworn public school in India.

About half the kids in any given classroom don’t have shoes, there’s no running water, and for some, the highlight of the day is a lunch the school legally has to provide which usually consists of rice. This is because that might be the biggest meal they get that day. Yet these kids are as happy and full of life as any kid I’ve seen in the United States.

Before leaving for India, I used to tell people that I didn’t like kids. This experience proved that belief I previously held to be completely unfitting. I was only going to stay for the first week, but near the end of that week I already felt an attachment to these kids. Luckily my job allowed me to take an additional week off, and my parents were willing to pay a reasonable fee to change my flight and extend my trip another week.

I read through about half of the surveys the night of our last day of camp. These were given to every student at the end of our program, and translated to Tamil for those who weren’t strong English speakers. One of the questions asked was, “What was your favorite part of Crossover?” It would be safe to say that half put down the classroom sessions.

I brought up to Shaun the trend that I had noticed because I was really surprised that out of everything we did with them, so many would say the classroom was their favorite part. Shaun explained that he believes it’s because some of the values we promote for daily life taught through basketball they’ve had little, if any, exposure to. These are skills that some would consider pretty basic, for example: acceptance, initiative, team spirit, and loyalty.

While as a college student I’m not currently in a position to contribute financially, I really want to continue to give what I can, which is my time, knowledge, and life experience. I’m still having a hard time knowing that some of these kids I may never see again, and won’t know where their story goes after Crossover. However, I know a majority of them will be there when I’m back next year.