A former Malvern Prep coach and basketball player have reunited at this year’s Big Brothers Big Sisters conference, writes Raymond Strickland for CBS News Philadelphia.
At the organization’s national conference in Philadelphia, coach Fran Dunphy and player Steve Nesmith reflected on their decades of friendship and mentorship.
Dunphy first coached Nesmith at Malvern Prep, and later at American University.
Dunphy was a mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters for years. He taught Nesmith to stay strong and never give up in both his basketball career and his personal life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nationwide organization connecting youth aged five and older with an adult mentor. The mentorship aims to help children set goals, gain confidence, achieve educational success, and avoid risky behaviors.
This year, the mentorship organization celebrated 110 years in operation.
As for Nesmith and Dunphy, the program helped the duo achieve more than just basketball coaching. Nesmith described Dunphy as a personal role model whose legendary coaching career is an inspiration in itself.
While Nesmith credits Dunphy with helping build his successful basketball career, Dunphy shared that he only assisted a motivation that was already there. The former coach, now retired, stated, “Big Brothers Big Sisters is here to not create potential in kids, we are here to protect it.”
Read more about Fran Dunphy and Steve Nesmith’s recent reunion at the Big Brothers Big Sisters conference at CBS News Philadelphia.
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