I joined the “Stay In The Game” program when I was a sophomore in high school. I give praise to God all the time for this program because it has touched my life, as well as many others, in a tremendous way. 

One aspect of this program is that it teaches and instills in the athlete positive values and habits for everyday life. The neat thing about the program is that it uses sports as the tool to do so. For example, values such as hard work and sportsmanship are focused on in practice. The athlete sees the importance and success of those values. This then motivates the athlete to use those values in other areas of their life.
 
The program also provides positive encouragement. Many of the athletes, who I am personally familiar with, come from homes where there is no one to aspire to be like, they never had anyone encouraging them to fulfill their potential, and some never even thought about going on to college. Curtis Weathers and those that run the program are always encouraging the athletes, telling them that they are somebody, and can do great things with their life. 

Another aspect that makes this program so special is that it provides academic support. Some participants of the program need tutoring for classes, and also for college entrance exams. “Stay In The Game” provides that service, which in most cases is the determining factor of whether a high school athlete gets into college.
 
A fourth attribute of the program is that it gives athletes the opportunity to be seen by college recruiters. This is very important because it could result in a free college education. This was the case for me. Through this program I went to a tournament in Las Vegas, and there was a lot of college coaches there. Some became interested in me. I was offered and received a basketball scholarship to Rice University! Without this program I would not have had that exposure, and probably would not be where I am today.
 
One last strong point of this program that means so much to me is that the people that run this program really do care about the athletes. Curtis Weathers took time out of his busy schedule and sat in on my college home visits, where college coaches came to talk to me about what their school had to offer. Curtis is very knowledgeable about the recruiting process, and was there for me to look out for my best interest. Those that run the program are also there for you outside of school and basketball, like if you need someone to get advice from, or just be that friend that you can watch the game with.
 
“Stay In The Game” is a great program for young men. The program not only provides a great opportunity for youth to become better athletes, but more importantly better people!
 
Sincerely,

Michael Wilks - Denver Nuggets