Bulls look to spread some holiday cheer

West Boca delivers presents, goodwill to sick children

Published December 18th, 2007

By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR

The West Boca Raton girls basketball team is looking to bring a little cheer to some sick children this year.

Saturday, the Bulls will go to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center to deliver presents and spend some time with the children there.

“It’s something that I wanted to do, because obviously my team is in a fortunate position,” West Boca first-year coach Patrick Faber said. “Believe it not watching golf, the St. Jude’s Classic, put the seed in my head, and I thought, that would be a nice thing for the team to do and they can appreciate what they have a little bit more and help out.”

Faber has done this before in the past, though he didn’t get a chance to do it in his first year coaching Pope John Paul II last season.

“It’s a great idea to go and help out other children during the holidays who are less fortunate than we are,” Bulls guard Alex Shevock said.

Shevock and point guard Rachel Espendez were hoping to get the kids toys for their visit.

The girls understand the reason Faber wants them to do this, and they’re also hoping to send a message of their own to the children they visit.

“They get to see that there are people who want to help out,” Shevock said. “That not everyone’s here for themselves.”
It’s something Faber likes to do to remind his girls that there is more to life than basketball.

“Sometimes when you lose a basketball game they think it’s the end of the world, when in fact, it’s just a basketball game,” he said.

The girls will meet at the high school Saturday and take two vans to the hospital, where they will also have lunch.

It’s one of several team bonding trips the team goes on during the season. Faber has already taken his girls on outings to FAU and Lynn women’s basketball games, as well as bowling and playing miniature golf together.

The trips allow the girls to get closer, and to take their minds off of some of the stresses that come along with the season. (West Boca is 5-5 after a 53-52 win over Martin County Tuesday night).

“Not only are we a family on the court but off the court as well,” Espendez said. “So something like this is really good for us.”