GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The high school basketball season is coming to an end for many players across West Michigan, and for many, their connection to the high school team may come to an end.
However, for a group of seniors at Ottawa Hills, they have some people looking out for them who are making sure they're still on top of the game of life.
Head Coach Derrick King and Terry Rostic with Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation have partnered to gift brand-new suits to the graduating seniors.
"At some point, they're gonna have an interview, they're going to need it for maybe some type of family event, and we want to make sure that we're preparing them for those times," King explained.
King and Rostic started the initiative a few years ago, calling it "Jerseys For Life." Until this year, they have purchased the suits for the players themselves. This year Mary Free Bed joined the initiative, taking on some of the financial burden while also holding a professional course on interview techniques and implicit bias.
"It's one thing to do something on your own, and you believe in it, but when others believe in it, and they're helping you, it's just an amazing feeling," Rostic said. "You know that you're doing the right work in our community when you do that."
They hold a tie-tying ceremony to help bring it all together, which ensures the players know how to make it look good.
