2021 NABC Community Assist Team Meet 10 College Basketball Players Handing Out Assists Off the Court The assist in college basketball often seems like an underrated statistic but is truly a quintessential act of teammates working together to achieve a goal. The 10 players selected for the 2021 NABC Community Assist Team used their platforms as college athletes to assist those in need, in and around their local communities and far beyond our country’s borders.
Kamal Aubakirov - Kenyon College
Riley Demps – New York University
Kamal worked with a non-profit educational organization, “360 Mentors”, that provides college counseling for high school students in his home country of Kazakhstan. The mission of the project is to both expose to and prepare high schoolers for various educational opportunities around the world, so they can come back with the best education possible to help sustain/make a change in Kazakhstan.
In early June, Riley Demps and his NYU basketball teammate, Cade Hoppe, crafted a plan to raise money in support of Campaign Zero, an organization aiming to reduce police violence. The timing coincided with blackout Tuesday and the Violets’ rising juniors decided to stage a run-a-thon. Utilizing their regular Instagram feeds, the duo posted information for the run with a flyer on how to join, just four days before the event.
Since the summer of 2019, over 300 students went through the program, of which many students end up studying in colleges/ universities in Kazakhstan, Europe, Asia, and the United States.
It didn’t take long for the support garnered by likes and shared posts found similar initiatives where people did not actually have to run but could financially pledge support to those who could. Demps, a mechanical engineering major, started a Google sheet with volunteers’ information and sent a statement describing the event. People could sign up to run or contribute a dollar a mile while also sharing information on social media.
Most recently, apart from college counseling, the program was able to extend its reach with new English language learning programs in Taldykorgan and Tekeli, both within 25 miles of Kamal’s home in Almaty. During the pandemic, Kamal’s team at 360 Mentors was able to work with students from 16 different cities of Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, and Kyrgyzstan. Most recently, the organization created an additional program which helps students from around Kazakhstan to build socially oriented projects within their communities. “In my thirty years of coaching I have yet to come across a young man as selfless and caring as Kamal. As a player and person Kamal’s focus is always about what is best for the team or group. HIs acts of kindness and generosity are not singular events but rather how he lives his life. He does things not for the attention it brings to him but simply to do what is right and how it can help others. I am amazed by this project but in no way surprised by this or anything Kamal has done. He has made incredible sacrifices to be a student-athlete at Kenyon and we are grateful to have him in our Kenyon community and as part of our basketball program.” Head Coach Dan Priest
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In the Sunday start for the run-a-thon, Demps rolled his ankle early in the run. About eight miles in, he figured he should stop until receiving numerous texts asking if he was still running. Despite the pain, Demps continued walking the final 12 miles. When all was done, the run-a-thon helped raise $65,000 that went directly to Campaign Zero. “Riley is incredibly deserving of being named to the 2021 NABC community assist team. His resourcefulness and unwavering commitment to serve others is a model for all student-athletes to follow.” Head Coach Dagan Nelson
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