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The Charlotte Hornets want to pay for you to go to college

By Matt Cianfrone

Jan 21, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) talks to head coach Steve Clifford during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) talks to head coach Steve Clifford during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Going to college is a great opportunity. It allows students to grow up both as students and people as they prepare for the real world. Unfortunately not every student gets the chance to go to college. Thankfully, Marvin Williams, Kemba Walker, Steve Clifford and the Charlotte Hornets wanted to change that. So they created a new scholarship to benefit the Charlotte area.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the idea came about after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott in September. Walker decided to lead an effort to reach out to and help the community. So now two students per year will benefit from the new $60,000 award and mentoring program.

Honestly, as someone who works with high school students on a daily basis, it is the mentoring part of this that really is exciting and different. There are plenty of kids who are smart enough to go to and succeed in college but fall victim to outside forces. The Hornets want to help stop that. And they are willing to go above and beyond normal professional sports team charity work to do that.

"“That’s the best thing about it: To build a relationship with a kid about to go to college. Paying for an education, that’s great, but a lot of our guys want to be more hands-on. And Cliff, too, he’s a big part of this: He said he’d love to help get kids acclimated to the college environment.”"

One would imagine having an NBA player as a mentor is a great way to stay accountable. Just imagine having a question and being able to ask Kemba Walker for advice. And with how much of a driving force Walker and Williams are behind this it is easy to imagine them creating lasting relationships.

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It will be exciting to see the program grow over the years and evolve as different Hornets evolve and more and more students succeed. At the very least this is a great start for the Hornets and a lead many teams should follow.

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