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WUWM's Emily Files reports on education in southeastern Wisconsin.

MPS North Division basketball is an example of sports teams' impact beyond the court

Children playing basketball inside a gym.
Emily Files
/
WUWM
Coach Kalombo Kadima leads rebounding drills for the Blue Devils varsity boys' basketball team.

While Milwaukee Public Schools were virtual last year, some high schoolers disengaged and were at risk of not coming back.

One reason for students to return this year: sports teams.

At North Division High School, the Blue Devils varsity boys basketball team is having one of its most successful seasons in years — and helping students get on the path to graduation.

North Division seniors Kenyon Jones and Jermaine Miller want to prove people who dismiss the Blue Devils wrong.

"We just want to help out our school, get our school team out there," says Jones. "Because every team we play in the conference league didn’t give us respect."

"No respect at all," Miller chimes in. "They really doubt us every game. [They say] 'North trash, North ghetto.' And we get out there, we hoop, we ball as a team, and we win."

North has been winning. After years at the bottom of the Milwaukee City Conference, it placed sixth out of 13 MPS schools.

One of the highlights from this season was in a game against James Madison High School, when Miller scored a buzzer-beating shot from half court.

Head coach Kalombo Kadima says he and assistant coach Mickell Harrell have been working towards a comeback.

"North Division was a powerhouse back in the '60s and '70s and since that time it’s plummeted and we’ve been struggling over the years," Kadmia says. "And my goal has been to try to bring this program back to prominence, if possible."

MPS high schoolers lost out on sports last year amid virtual school and COVID-19 restrictions. Kadima says going into this season, he didn’t know what to expect. But from the first game, he knew the team had potential.

"There was a lot of hunger to get out there and play because it was taken away, obviously due to the pandemic," he says.

The wins are nice. But Kadima says the most rewarding part of his job is contributing to and watching the personal growth of students.

One sign of progress: Kadima says there have only been a few students ineligible to play this season due to their grades, whereas in past seasons he recalls close to half the team being ineligible.

"We had a young man who used to be pretty involved in the streets and he latched onto basketball and he’s done a whole 360," says Kadima. "He’s been one of my most consistent players as far as attendance, as far as leadership, as far as being in the classroom."

Kenyon Jones (right) and Jermaine Miller are two standout players on the Blue Devils. The seniors are on track to graduate after both struggling to stay engaged in school.
Emily Files
/
WUWM
Kenyon Jones (left) and Jermaine Miller are two standout players on the Blue Devils. The seniors are on track to graduate after both struggling to stay engaged in school.

That student is senior Kenyon Jones. Jones says he was forced to switch high schools due to behavior problems his freshman year. Then, he says he dropped out last year for a time.

"It really took me 'til my senior year to really think about it like — you really need to do something," Jones says. "‘Cause you wouldn’t want nobody else to tell you ‘you’re a failure’ when I know I could be something better."

Jones' friend and teammate Jermaine Miller has struggled too, especially last year.

"I ain’t gonna lie, I was not finna come back to school after virtual," Miller says. "But you know, I motivated myself to get out the bed and come here."

Miller and Jones have seen siblings and cousins drop out of school. But both of them are on track to graduate.

MPS has tried to boost graduation rates and other outcomes by funneling resources into schools in the impoverished 53206 zip code, including North Division.

Elsa Banks is a trauma support specialist who deals closely with student mental health at North. She says the basketball team shows that what students really need to stay engaged at school is a trusted adult, like Kadima and Harrell — the coaches.

"A supportive adult relationship can be what determines whether a student goes to college or goes to prison," Banks says.

During a recent practice, coach Kadima runs rebounding drills. One of the players — a freshman — gets upset about being fouled. Kadima pulls him to the side for a quiet conversation. Assistant coach Harrell watches from the sidelines and explains what’s happening.

"That's our freshman guard, so he's having some growing pains," Harrell said. "You know, we stress to our guys just play through it 'cause during the games we don’t get a lot of foul calls. So it’s like if you worried about the referees calling the calls, you’re taking yourself out of the game a little bit. So we kind of emphasize just playing through some of those type of things."

The Blue Devils will keep playing through it during state playoffs beginning this week. Their first game is at home Tuesday against Saint Anthony High School.

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Emily is WUWM's education reporter and a news editor.
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