Jones Kids Shine Under the Big Lights

Under the bright lights of the Paycom Center, several Jones little league teams got their chance to shine. Walking in the footsteps of professional athletes, these pint-sized players made their first appearance on an NBA court. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, as a sea of green, gold, and navy colored fans cheered on their kids in this once in a lifetime experience.

Multiple JASA teams participated in this event, called the “Court of Dreams” on Saturday afternoon. Jones fans cheered for both sides of the court, as a few kids played their classmates for the ultimate bragging rights.

Harper Williams, from Mrs. McSwane’s 2nd grade class said, “It was a really good experience for me and my teammates. We played really hard, but we needed to score a couple more baskets.”

When asked what it felt like to score points on a real NBA goal, Mrs. Witts 2nd grade student, Knox McEwen said, “It felt good. It was really exciting.” After his team Dominate won a close victory 7-6 over the Longhorns, Knox said he felt “amazingly happy and surprised!”

Michelle Barber, second grade coach, and mother of twins Corbin and Blakely summed up the day perfectly. She said, “Man I don’t have words. I love that we live in this community where our kids get to have these kind of experiences! Both teams today cared more about making sure that the boys got to soak in all the magic of getting to play at the Paycom Center. The best part about it was that both teams were rooting for each other! We had boys score their very first points ever today and that will be core memories for them for forever! One day all these kiddos will be the future high school Longhorn team, all playing together on one team! The fact that we get to nurture that passion now is pretty amazing.”

One day all these kiddos will be the future high school Longhorn team, all playing together on one team! The fact that we get to nurture that passion now is pretty amazing.
Michelle Barber

Her daughter Blakely, who plays for the Wilds, said, “Today was one of the best days ever. I got to play with my teammates who are my very best friends against a team of other good friends from school. Getting to play at the Paycom Center was very cool and something I’ll always remember.”

When asked what it was like to play on the same court as his favorite Thunder player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, second grader Colby Neal said, “It was super awesome!”

Ms. Carr’s fifth grader Madlee Gindhart said of the experience, “It was fun! I felt like a pro. It makes me feel happy playing with my friends and being somewhere where a bunch of cool people play.”