Bobby Martinez – Sports Reporter
The word “SEIZE” has been women’s basketball motto since the arrival of Head Coach Bert DeSalvo. Not only has his team been preparing for this upcoming season, but they have also been active in the community doing several community service acts in the local area.
Recently, Owls basketball conducted a youth clinic for the Trumbull youth basketball team. The Owls then headed to a Goodwill donation center where they assisted for three hours in sorting out clothes and cleaning shelves said DeSalvo.
“We,” said DeSalvo, “got the girls up pretty early on Sunday, headed up there [to Goodwill]. We had some girls sorting some donated items, some clothing so they were doing that. They had an abundant amount. It got crazy because it’s a general supply so any help that we can give they really appreciate it. Then we had some other girls cleaning shelves and organizing things on the floor. We were busy for about three hours.”
Associate Director of Athletics/Communications Mike Kobylanski said community service for every Southern athlete is very important because there are numerous benefits that can be gained.
“We emphasize the importance of community service to all of our student athletes throughout their academic careers,” said Kobylanski. “We feel that there is great value in those opportunities and it provides a sound compliments to the experiences they have in the classroom and their respective sport.”
As for this year, Kobylanski said he is pleased with the work Southern athletes have provided in the community.
He said, “as a whole, I think our student athletes and our programs have done a very fine job in the start of the year. We’ve been engaged with numerous groups and causes both on campus and in the local communities. So on the whole I can say we’re very pleased as we head into the late fall and early winter.”
Southern’s athletic program over the years have worked with numerous agencies such as the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup in particular. But one of DeSalvo’s focuses this year is to become more engaged with community service by reaching out personally as a team.
“I want us to reach out to organizations,” he said. “There are organizations that reach out to Mike Kobylanski that we would hook up with. But primarily we like to reach out to other people. We’re trying to get out to as many people and help out as many people as we can because it’s very important to us and our standards here at Southern. I tip my hat to our team because they are not only doing the community service, but they’re doing it with a smile on their face.”
Kobylanski added in regards to teams reaching out for community service saying “It’s a mix. There are some partnerships that we developed through my offices; the coaches have developed through the years. Some of those turn into ongoing annual events. In some cases it’s a matter of individuals reaching out to either myself or the athletic director or coach indicating that they need some assistance. That’s usually when we try to evaluate and take on a new initiative at point and time.”
DeSalvo, who is entering his first complete year as Owls head coach, said community service is very important not only for his team, but for every sport program at Southern. He said coaches should make sure there players are continuously helping out the community.
“I think,” said DeSalvo, “as coaches it’s important for us to help the community because our kids have a great opportunity here at Southern to participate and have people cheer for them. When we first got together in our team meeting in the fall, I wanted the girls to be reminded about that. It’s really important for me to remind them that they have a great opportunity and want them to seize the opportunity.”
The Owls season begins Nov. 15 against Molloy College in Bridgeport CT as part of the Bridgeport Conference Challenge Tournament.
