Van Wie hoping a simple lesson will carry a lifetime

  • brian questel
  • November 14, 2012
  • 363
                        
111912 Van wie Promo: Van Wie/Rotary Basketball Clinic a part of Wayne County’s bridge for hope Van Wie hoping a simple lesson will carry a lifetime By Brian Questel Al Van Wie spent many years building a reputation as a basketball coach. He’s doing the same as an ambassador for help. Nearly two decades ago, the long-time College of Wooster basketball coach had his name go on a basketball tournament, something he wasn’t initially excited about. When Van Wie finally gave his consent, it was under the condition the tournament returned something to the community. That return was on partial display in the 19th annual Al Van Wie Basketball Clinic, which was held at The College of Wooster Nov. 11. This was the same gymnasium where Van Wie spent half of his 21-years as coach of the Scots, and there was certainly basketball on display with some 80 third-though-sixth graders in attendance at the clinic Sunday afternoon. Current College of Wooster players gave up their Sunday afternoon to work with the 80-plus kids in attendance, going over the fine points of shooting, dribbling and passing. The larger message, one that Van Wie has embraced throughout his life, was imbedded in the thought of giving back to the community. Attendance to the clinic was four cans of food, which was sorted, boxed and then delivered to People-to-People Ministries food pantry. The Van Wie/Rotary Classic, which will feature Adrian, Carnegie Mellon and Otterbein on Nov. 16-17, will also allow fans to get in for half-price with a donation of two canned goods as well. The purpose is to provide assistance for those families who are struggling financially on the eve of the holiday season. Van Wie said he has been overwhelmed with the reception, as well as the name recognition, the clinic and its food drive have received since its inception. “It’s gone way beyond. It’s exceeded everything I hoped for,” said Van Wie. “You know when I was approached I initially said no. I had created the Mose Hole Tournament (which honored another long-time Scot coach) and I felt we didn’t need another tournament. We talked some more and I said OK if we did something more for the community. “People had their doubts, but with the leadership of Jon Rose, Chad Boreman and others, I am honored to have my name attached to the clinic and what this stands for, learning about what it is to give and be part of something bigger than one’s self.” Van Wie has devoted much time to local agencies such as Boys’ Village and the Wayne County Crippled Children’s Committee. He knows that to help takes a collective effort. “There are some really unsung heroes,” said Van Wie. “Jack Gant goes down all week and collects food items from Franklin (Elementary), and canned goods are not light. He brings them into People-to-People. Groups go to Shreve and different schools, and people were lugging cans down the drive (to Timken Gymnasium) yesterday. The same guys have done this over and over again, year-in and year-out, and then there are the parents who are willing to sacrifice in this (economic) climate.” It certainly put a smile on Van Wie’s face to see the current edition of Scot players take part in the clinic, as well as the energy generated by the kids attending the clinic. “It was about half boys and half girls,” said Van Wie. “When we started it was almost all boys. They had all the energy in the world … and some of the little girls there had some skill. There were a couple who shot left-handed layups when, like you and me, 90 percent were shooting with their right hand. When I saw those little girls who put up the shot with their left hand I said, ‘Wait a minute? What are these – 4th-5th graders? They are going to be players someday.’ “The guys from the college did a wonderful job. They gave up a Sunday, a time to sleep in or to get in extra studying. You can’t express enough thanks to those kids. We have done a little better (attendance-wise), but it was a beautiful afternoon. People were out raking leaves and just being outside. I hate to admit it, but I hope for (bad weather),” laughed Van Wie. “Kids come from all over and parents take the afternoon off. It’s an event that never gets boring. This excites me every time.” It would be hard for it to get boring, especially knowing the impact the event has. Last year, there were nearly 24,000 cans or boxes of food donated to the project. After that, Rotary wrote a check for $10,000 to help fill in the blanks. “That extra helps protect or make it so someone else can have dinner,” said Van Wie. “That $10,000 fills in a lot of gaps and buys a lot of turkeys. That’s just part of our culture.” And so, too, has the Van Wie/Rotary Clinic and tournament. “People-to-People do a great job – they have all the credibility in the world. They’ve been doing it a long time and doing it right,” said Van Wie. “A lot of people are still hurting. You’ve heard me say that for 19 years.” But thanks to Van Wie and everyone who has rallied around this cause, the stress of that hurt has been eased, even if just for one meal.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load