Danny Judd grew up in Montreal, Canada and attended his last year in high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia. EJ Garcia grew up and attended high school in Puerto Rico. Thousands of miles separate the two, however, they have a lot in common.
Both left the challenges of home to travel hours to give themselves a better opportunity at life. Totally different environments, one from the cold climate of the Northeast, the from continuous warmth of an island territory. They left family and friends, not to return home until Christmas, in an effort to understand how others live and survive. Then there's basketball. Both are basketball junkies who love the game and want to see for themselves just how good they can be.
According to Head Men's Basketball Coach, Dave Gonyea, "After spending some time with the two, I'm not sure we fully appreciate what we have as compared to what kids from afar have. Both see opportunity; an opportunity to work, get an education and most importantly to them, the opportunity to show those back home how good they can be on the court. There is no better place for them to showcase their talent."
He continued, "One thing I realized in the short time I have spent with the two is the appreciation and respect they have for the US. If you ask most American kids today anything about Canadian cities, towns, colleges, or sport teams, most cannot provide any substantive information on any of the above. My guess is the same relates to the United States territory of Puerto Rico. However, these two have detailed knowledge regarding the topics I cited. In fact, they probably know more about the NBA and college basketball teams and players than I. I don't know how this story plays out. I do know both young men will give it their best and come out the other end learning life lessons that will enrich their lives."
At the end of the day, sports and (especially basketball) can be a great tool to bring people together from around the world, to understand our similarities and differences, but most importantly learn to co-exist in a world that is not always that good at tolerating behaviors and attitudes we don't understand.