Rocklin, CA - The William Jessup University men's basketball team temporarily traded in their high-tops for the morning and fulfilled the opportunity to read to local area elementary students in support of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Reading Program.

The Warriors took part in the program on January 12^th when the fifteen member team visited Blue Oaks Elementary School in Roseville. They visited three fourth grade classrooms while at Blue Oaks Elementary. The agenda in the classrooms included player introductions as well as sharing their favorite book, activities as a child, and tips for students to improve their reading skills. Players read poems aloud to students and also participated in a reading related activity selected by the teachers. All sessions included a question and answer period and provided students with a certificate of completion. The players accompanied the students to recess, where they participated in basketball, wall ball, and foursquare games.

As part of the annual national literacy program sponsored by the NABC, players and coaches from the NCAA, NAIA and junior college ranks visit selected elementary schools in their area to promote the importance of reading and education to elementary aged children. The NABC Reading Program was founded to assist the literacy movement in America. The program hopes to motivate and encourage children to read for enjoyment as a lifelong practice.

William Jessup junior Julius Smith said, "I had such a great time with the students. I love being around kids. It's refreshing to see their excitement and interest in what we're doing. The students were full of energy and very engaging." William Jessup head coach Aaron Muhic said, "This proved to be a great occasion for our athletes and coaches to make an impact in our local community. We had the opportunity to serve as role models and give back to the next generation. It was great to inspire and instill the value and importance of reading during the time we spent with these students. This is a way to create relationships with the students and show that part of being a good athlete is being a good student."