AIC Basketball Team Mixes Fun with Inspiration for Holyoke Students
SPRINGFIELD — Members of the American International College (AIC) basketball team, along with Men’s Basketball Coach Andy Burkholder and Assistant Coach Chris Oroszko, recently paid a visit to William R. Peck School in Holyoke to visit with eighth-grade students in the school’s Therapeutic Intervention program, which provides an education to students who need a smaller, more supportive educational environment.
The event kicked off with inspirational words from Burkholder, who highlighted the importance of staying in school, including the possibilities of playing sports in college.
In his first season at the helm of the AIC Yellow Jackets, Burkholder led the team to its first Northeast-10 title in 21 years. AIC’s bid to host the NCAA Division East Regional was its first ever, and a 58-53 win over Philadelphia University was its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1994. For his efforts, Burkholder was recently named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by BennettRank.com.
Peck teacher Jennifer Johnson reached out to the team on behalf of the dozen students in the program. “The students love sports, especially basketball. We use sports as incentive and rewards for them. It is important for the students to know there’s a long way between eighth grade and the NBA. Grades and attitude matter, and the first next step is high school.”
Six of the team’s players — co-captain Bobby Harris, Trahmier Burrell, Henry Vilfort, Max Risch, Nolan Woodward, and Jayvon Pitts-Young — shared their own experiences and encouraged the students who anticipate moving on to high school in the fall to find their interests, follow their passion, and, above all, stay in school. After a little classroom encouragement, the team enjoyed pizza for lunch followed by a pickup game with Peck students.
