Over 8,000 youth do not have ample basketball shoes to compete in. With this thought in mind, the boys’ basketball team paired with their rivals, the Episcopal student body, to donate gently-used shoes to the Sharing Shoes organization before tip-off of the varsity game.

Head coach Harold Baber collected donations from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 and encouraged all Maverick basketball players to give what they could, so that all kids have the chance to play, which is the motto of Sharing Shoes.

“I thought it would be great to pair with Episcopal and show togetherness between our two communities and basketball programs,” Baber said.

The Mavericks and the Knights collected over 100 pairs of shoes, some of which will be given to youth in need across the greater Houston area.

“The joint project was a great way to give back to the community in a basketball-related way,” junior Charlie McGee said. “It was also a great opportunity to do something bigger than basketball and put a rivalry aside to help others.”

After the Mavericks presented the shoes to Sharing Shoes, sophomore Brian Gordon, juniors Isaac Blue, Charlie McGee and Lucas Desjardins and senior Genson Hooper-Price took the court against the Knights. Although the Mavericks kicked off the game with a few layups made by Hooper-Price and sophomore Jackson Peakes three-pointer, they were unable to get stops on the defensive end and fell behind by double digits.

The Mavericks started the second half strong with three-pointers from McGee and a layup from Desjardins, but ultimately the deficit was too large, and they fell to the Knights 31-62.

The basketball players look forward to giving back to the community.

“Basketball has opened doors for a lot of people on our team, so to be able to give back to the game is extremely humbling and an honor,” Hooper-Price said. “All children should be able to enjoy the wonderful game of basketball without having to worry about the shoes on their feet.”