Making a difference, a fist bump at a time

The last couple of Fridays, the UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team has fist-bumped elementary students in the morning as they get dropped off at school, a small gesture that head coach Matt Figger said could make a lasting impact.

Figger, who previously told The Rider he wants to emphasize community service, said he thinks the most important people they can reach as a Division 1 program are children, giving them hope about going to college and even playing college-level athletics.

“I’ve heard so many stories about how just one Division 1 athlete that a kid comes in contact with will help [them],” he said.

Fist Bump Fridays started on Oct. 22 as the men’s basketball team visited De Zavala and Lee elementary schools in Edinburg early in the morning.

“It’s probably the first time they’ve interacted with a Division 1 athlete, so it’s a chance for kids to be able to say, ‘You know what? I can do this, too,’ and they get inspired to do it,” Figger said. “And to be able just to get a college scholarship, it doesn’t have to be basketball or anything else. It could be a college scholarship in anything, just to give them some hope and understand that they have an opportunity as well.”

Graduate forward Marek Nelson said his favorite part of the event was the energy that everyone had early in the morning, with a speaker playing music and just overall “good vibes.”

“I really enjoyed it,” Nelson said about the event. “It took me back to my days as a young elementary-school kid and just having school super early before the sun’s out and getting on the bus or having your parents drop you off, but it was good. It was good to be there in the morning with those kids and trying to put a smile on their faces and meet some of the administration staff involved in those elementary schools was really enjoyable.”

Sophomore guard Isaiah Garcia, a Weslaco native, said it was cool to get the students’ morning started.

Asked how he felt about being from Weslaco and participating in the event, Garcia said, “Well, hopefully, they can see me and just think they can do exactly what I’m doing. Because, I mean, I thought it was kind of crazy just to imagine that I was just like them.”

Figger said he believes the team loves it and just because they are 6 feet tall does not mean they are not kids at heart.

“When they see a kid’s face light up, because they think they’re special, because, No. 1, they look at them and go, ‘Oh my God, you’re so big.’ You know, I think it brings as much joy to our guys as much as it does to little kids.”

The second Fist Bump Friday took place Oct. 29 at Freddy Gonzalez and De Zavala elementary schools in Edinburg.

Asked how Fist Bump Fridays will bring the Rio Grande Valley community to UTRGV games and events, Figger replied, “It’s very important for the people in the Rio Grande Valley to be able to feel like they have something in common with our kids. Which they do. I mean, a lot of our kids come from hard-working families and things like that. … And the more that people in the Rio Grande Valley know who our kids are, the more that they’re going to feel like they’re a part of them.

“And, so, we’ve got to get them out into the public … and, you know, there’s over, or at least, a million people in this Valley. This is their school. We want to make this their school that they’re proud of, that they can wear that V with pride.”

Nelson agreed, saying Fist Bump Fridays will help the Valley see players’ faces and make a connection with the community.

“[The students’] parents hear about, you know, the day they had with all the basketball players who were there from UTRGV,” he said. “We get a good review home to the parents and next thing you know, we got more people to come to the games, to come support.”

Jonah Goldberg, senior associate athletic director for communications, told The Rider the latest Fist Bump Friday was last Friday at Austin Elementary School. There is no set end date for the events and he hopes to keep it going for an extended period of time with the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District.

“Winning will always bring people,” Figger said. “Hope brings people, but when people can put names and faces and interaction with your players, then you have community and that’s what we’re trying to build, a community.”