Maryville Plays Ball with Youth Agency
7/11/07
ST. LOUIS — Scoring goals in sports brings temporary acclaim. Achieving goals in life brings permanent fulfillment. Children in the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club are learning how to do both with the help of Maryville University administrators and coaches.
The first step in what promises to be a long partnership between Herbert Hoover and Maryville was taken July 10 when Matt Rogers, the University’s head men’s basketball coach and associate director of athletics, and Todd Wallace, assistant for athletic administration, conducted a three-hour basketball camp for 16 teenagers at Adams Park. “We covered fundamentals and we also talked about the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship,” Rogers said.
The camp came about as a result of meetings between Rogers; Flint Fowler, executive director of Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club; and Michael Eschbach, a director of development at Maryville. “Mike put me in touch with Flint. I went down there and got to meet some of the kids and teachers,” Rogers remarked.
This endeavor is just one of many partnerships that Maryville University has formed, and continues to form, in its efforts to include all segments of the community in meaningful and enriching programs. Chief among these efforts is the University’s longstanding role as presenting sponsor of the St. Louis Speakers Series. Speaking to youth, and hearing them share their stories, Rogers said, is a very powerful experience. “You realize that everyone comes from different backgrounds and has unique challenges that they face in life,” he remarked.
Rogers said he would like to hold a clinic in the fall for those who coach boys’ and girls’ club teams, as well as host club members at Maryville athletic events during the 2007-08 season. “As a coach, one of the things you enjoy most is teaching and it’s always gratifying when you know the light bulb has gone off and they are responsive to your message,” Rogers said.
Maryville University, founded in 1872, is a private, coeducational institution offering approximately 50 undergraduate, seven master’s and two doctoral degree programs to 3,300 students. Ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges in the Midwest, Maryville University prepares its students for successful and meaningful careers by offering programs that integrate liberal arts with professional studies.
Among Maryville’s most recent graduates, 94 percent are employed or attending graduate school. Approximately 15,000 alumni work and live in the St. Louis region.
Photo cutline: Matt Rogers, head men’s basketball coach and associate director of athletics at Maryville University, talks to teenagers at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club at a July 10 clinic.