FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Alicia Bailey
901-604-4017
WallaceAllStarWeekend@yahoo.com
ALL-STAR WEEKEND GAME FOR METRO BOY & GIRL BASKETBALL PLAYERS
Players will get the chance to play for the crowd and recruiters
The Scott and Harriet Wallace Family Foundation will host All-Star Weekend Saturday, June 14, at Maplewood High School. This one day event will give Metro boys and girls an opportunity to showcase athleticism and sportsmanship before a crowd of cheering fans and college recruiters.
Doors open at 1 p.m.
Featured events are:
3-point contest, slam dunk contest and a boys and girls all-star game.
The All-Star weekend is open to the public. Only recent graduates are eligible to play in the game and must register online.
The event will help fund the annual Scott C. Wallace Scholarship which will be awarded to two Metro high school players – a girl and boy – who display strong athletic ability.
With the event will be held during Father’s Day weekend, event organizers will also recognize the winner of the Father of the Year award. Children across the city are being asked to submit their dad or dad figure into the competition. Submissions are to be shared on the event’s Facebook page @ScottC.WallaceAll-StarWeekend.
WHO: Boy & girl basketball players who recently graduated from high school
WHAT: All-Star Weekend game events
WHEN: Deadline to register to play, June 6, 2014.
Deadline to submit father/father-figure, June 7, 2014
HOW: Register to play at www.WallaceAllStarWeekend.com
Submit father/father-figure on our Facebook page, @ScottC.WallaceAll-StarWeekend
Judge Rachel Bell will coach in the Scott C. Wallace All Star
About the Wallace Family Foundation
The Wallace family is committed to improving the community with a focus on the youth and a cohesive and healthy family unit. Out of this focus, the SCOTT & HARRIET WALLACE FAMILY FOUNDATION was formed. The Scott C. Wallace All-Star Weekend is a program offered under the Foundation umbrella and is an extension of the Wallace Family commitment to young people and fathers.
Pastor Sandy McClain will coach against former Trevecca University teammate Avery Patton in the Scott C. Wallace All Star Weekend
Avery Patton is the leader of the Dirty Dozen Mentoring Program
Tennessee Tribune Sports Columnists Scott Wallace’s two part Father’s Day series on how a father is sacrificing for his son to make it out of the mean streets of Gary, Indiana.
Indiana Star Pitches to Keep Dream Alive
I recently heard about a young man from my hometown of Gary, Indiana that is trying to pursue his dream of going to college and play baseball in the south. Anyone that knows me (especially my wife Harriet Wallace who teases me all the time), knows I love my hometown and that I have purposed in my life to help youth get into schools. Little did I know that this young man’s father was a high school teammate of mine and his mother’s father coached me in baseball. I hope you enjoy this two part series celebrating a father who has made the necessary efforts to get his son a better life through sports.
Paco
Gary, Indiana is known as a tough steel town located in the shadows of Chicago on the banks of Lake Michigan; Gary has over the years become somewhat of a ghost town. Deceased pop star Michael Jackson was born there also and he and his family moved from Gary and became icons in the music industry. Others that call Gary home have become famous such as actors Avery Brooks and Fred “Hammer” Williamson. Singers Deniece Williams and Jesse Powell also come from the steel town. Because of the decline of the steel industry, people have moved out of Gary. Some never return to lend a hand to the dilapidated infrastructure of the city. One young man wants to change that image with a bat, glove and ball and his father is there to guide him.
Malcolm “Paco” Jordan is a graduating senior from West Side High School in Gary. He is a pitcher and center fielder for his school and his athletic ability has earned him looks from colleges from around the country. On the gridiron, Paco broke the all-time, single season and single record for tackles. His father Malcolm Sr. starred as a running back in high school at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Indiana in the mid 80’s and earned a spot on the University of North Carolina football team. He never played a down at UNC because of a leg injury. Malcolm Sr., known as Earl was a teammate of mine at Bishop Noll. Now he is trying to get help his son to buck the odds and make it.
Earl Jordan, Paco Jordan and Kernitra Jordan
“I owe so much to my family,” said Paco. “My father is a locksmith and he slacked up on his work to train me. He didn’t play baseball but he learned the ins and outs of the game. My mother is extremely supportive too. She is at every game and is my biggest cheerleader. Her brothers played baseball so they are a lot of help to me. My grandfather was a coach so I guess it is in my genes.”
Paco’s hope is to play baseball somewhere in the south, preferably in Nashville. As a youth he visited Nashville to play in a youth basketball tournament and fell in love with the city. His number one choice of schools is Tennessee State University but they don’t have a baseball program. That tidbit could disappoint a young man. There is a family structure in place to prevent that.
“My wife (Kernitra Jordan) and I are going to do all we can to help Paco,” said Malcolm Sr. “He is a great kid and a hard worker. He didn’t start out as the best athlete. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t very fast growing up. I teased him and said he had his mother’s speed. He took that as a challenge and now he is probably faster than I was at this level. We are so proud of him. He has worked hard in the classroom and on the field. He really wants to make it. We will do all in our power to make that happen.”
Check back in next week for the continuation of this story. Find out what the family Plan B is for Paco and more on what Malcolm Sr. means and his family means to Paco in his own words.
