Six players from the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team spent time at the Central Area Special Olympics Basketball Skills Competition, hosted by Marshalltown Parks and Recreation on Thursday morning. Jamal Gatali, Pierce Kelly, Merdic Green, Guilherme Verardo, Paul Little and Craig Moreland visited Miller Middle School for the day.
The group of Tigers ran a multitude of activities with high school-aged kids from all across central Iowa. The kids worked with the players on shooting drills, passing targets, running lanes, and a handful of other hands-on basketball events. Following the completion of the drills, the kids received awards for their accomplishments.
The Tigers took time at the end of the day to put on a show for all the participants. Little and Gatali displayed their jumping abilities with a dunk contest while Green and Kelly awed everyone with an array of trick shots. Verardo and Moreland finished up the day testing their luck with half court shots.
"This was my second year helping out," said Gatali. "It was great that the kids actually remembered me. I'm glad I could give back to the community and work with such a great organization."
Kelly is already looking forward to next year. "We'd like to thank Parks and Rec for having us. We'd be glad to come back again next year."
