I ran into an old friend at the Magic Dome last week — someone I haven’t seen in fifteen years. Rahim Washington was a former teammate back in ’95. I was a senior, and Rahim was a talented freshman. We were part of a Millionaire squad that went to the state final. Washington was legit. He was extremely athletic and super quick. Rahim moved to Philadelphia that summer. I went off to college, and we lost contact. My man finished at Overbrook High — the same school as Wilt Chamberlain. Rahim had a stellar scholastic career. He averaged 22 points per game his senior campaign. Washington was All-City in ’98 — a ridiculous honor for this Williamsport native. Rahim then went to Neumann University and blossomed. Washington was a tough combo guard who is now in their sports Hall of Fame. He was a match-up problem. Rahim even played a few years professionally after college — a rather impressive resume.

Rahim returned home to coach hoops and teach at Prep Charter. The Huskies were legit in the mid-2000s. They won multiple PIAA State Titles. Washington mentored several big-time players. Yes. You might know the 6’9 Morris twins. Both Marcus and Markieff are still playing. Rahim now serves as Prep Charter’s head coach. The landscape is quite different. His team still plays hard, but the school shut down for two years because of the pandemic. They are now rebuilding. A lot of new faces. Very raw. Rahim continues to shape and mold youngsters.

My teammate came over immediately after. His team was just defeated in the first round of the Millionaire Christmas Tournament. Again. It was fifteen years at least — almost 30 years since we played together. But Rahim and I talked and laughed for the next two quarters. We shared stories on basketball and bragged about our families. I got to introduce him to my son Jensen. Our memories were quite vivid. Rahim does a fantastic Coach White impersonation. Remember when Pete kicked the principal out of practice? A STORM? YOU WANT ME TO CANCEL PRACTICE BECAUSE OF A STORM? WE PLAY HARRISBURG TOMORROW. THEY ARE A STORM. Our conversations continued. We didn’t talk much about the games. It was more of the interactions. It was fantastic. My teammate. OK. Hold this thought. I will get back to it a tad later.

I am so very proud of the entire Williamsport Area 9th grade hoops team. And what they recently did will never show up in the stat sheets. I often preach about being good people. Well, these boys just took it to a new level. One of their teammates was in need of some new sneakers. Unfortunately, he did not have the resources. ALL of them got together and ponied up. No adults. No coaches. Just the kids. They presented these new NIKE JA MORANTS to their teammate. There is a video of this very special moment. You should have seen the smiles and jubilation. A bunch of guys coming together for the right reasons. This player now had an unbelievable swagger. He was grinning ear to ear. My new favorite guy even got into the game in the fourth quarter. He was everywhere. Hustling and diving after loose balls. He traveled and had three fouls. But towards the end — he found himself wide open and under the basket. His shot went in, and the entire gym went ballistic. The guys on the bench went absolutely crazy. His first two points of the season. Goosebumps.

Everyone on this team will remember this moment. Going the extra mile to help another. That smile when he opened his package. Then, moments later, he scored his first bucket. What a beautiful moment. So glad that I was there to witness. Proud of my guys. They will talk about this 30 years from now. I am dead serious. That’s the great thing about sports and being teammates. Cheers.