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Friendly City Friday. At first blush, it may sound like a day when the City Hall staff of hometown Columbus, Mississippi, can loosen up the tie and wear sweats to work or, perhaps, folks can get 2-for-1 appetizers at local hangout Zachary’s.
While neither is the case — not that both would not be welcomed — the moniker Friendly City Friday is more like a mantra for the outreach efforts of The W men’s basketball program under fourth-year head coach Dean Burrows. And, to fully appreciate the extent of the program, you need to first understand Burrows.
Since arriving on campus before the 2021-22 season to guide the men’s hoops program, Burrows has hit the ground running in all aspects of his program. He goes from zero to 60 by nature. Burrows is to coaching like skydiving is to badminton. He methodically charts a course for his players not only to succeed on the basketball court, but also in the classroom, as husbands and fathers, and as men. “Just enough” is never enough for Burrows, when it comes to The W Basketball.
“Servanthood is one of our core values,” Burrows explained. “I’ve got to do my part on the floor, but we need to make sure that we are out in the community and give back, because if we want (the community) to come to the games they need to feel a connection.”
“When you love, you serve; when you serve, you sacrifice.”
Out of that mentality has come Friendly City Friday, seizing onto Columbus’ city nickname. The main premise has The W men’s basketball doing a slate of visits to local elementary schools each Friday morning to meet and encourage children as they arrive at school, and then spend some time with them interacting in the classroom. The Owls read to the students, work on crafts together and even eat with them in the cafeteria.
In the fall, The W’s student-athletes have made visits to Annunciation School, Fairview Elementary, West Lowndes Elementary, and Cook Elementary. There were multiple visits scheduled for each, which has had a great bonding effect between the children and the Owls’ team over time.
“The first time we go to a school the kids are sometimes a little reserved or standoffish,” Burrows explained. “But when we go back the children are running and jumping up to high-five our guys. Our players are big-time to those kids.
“When we go into the classroom, we will ask what they’re doing; what they’re working on, and things like that. But also, who likes basketball or other sports? We want to try to get them to understand that if you don’t take care of that classroom stuff, it’s going to be hard to play sports as they get older. Showing them that you do care and that you are interested, goes a long way.”
This commitment to outreach has gone beyond just visiting schools, too. And — with apologies to the free calendars given out by our banks and insurance agents for marking down dates — these outreach opportunities sometimes do not occur just on Friday mornings, either. Thus far in the fall of 2024, besides visiting the elementary schools, the Owls have helped to unload tons of product for Life Church’s fundraising pumpkin patch, helped prepare lunches for those in need at Loaves and Fishes ministry, fundraised for their own program by working concessions at Mississippi State football games, and assisted in gameday operations at home events for their fellow The W teams.
Burrows also tries to incorporate outreach and learning opportunities for his team while traveling. A visit to Children’s of Mississippi Hospital on the team’s trip to Belhaven University and a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum during a Memphis swing in the 2023-24 season, are examples.
Burrows has achieved the intended effect of having these community service activities be mutually beneficial. While the children and those impacted by The W’s volunteerism may become excited and appreciative, the Owls’ players have, themselves, been impacted by the sense of responsibility and cohesiveness it has had on the program.
“I have personally grown through the community service we have done in many ways,” junior guard Josh Dukes (Booneville, Miss.) reflected. “Doing community service and getting out into the community in general helps me to remember that it’s bigger than me. I don’t matter as much as I think that I matter. It’s about helping others, being selfless, and taking time out of your day to make others feel valuable. I have seen growth from my teammates as well. I have seen some of them come out of their shells, communicate with people, and care for people more than themselves. I think, as a whole, we have grown to understand it is not about us, it’s about serving others.”
Senior forward Cam Smith is in his second season as an Owl, transferring in from Northeast Mississippi Community College after a stellar prep career at Biggersville High School. Smith knows a thing or two about being in the spotlight after hitting the winning shot of the 2021 MHSAA Class 1-A championship game and being featured on ESPN. But Smith is quick to refocus the spotlight on the importance of The W’s mission to serve.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot doing these things,” Smith said of the Owls' outreach program. “There’s more to it than just basketball. It felt good seeing those kids’ facial expressions change once they saw us enter their classrooms. It made me feel like we impacted their lives in a good way by them just seeing and talking to us. When we did the work with the homeless, it made me appreciate the things I have at times when I feel like I have it rough realizing someone could be wishing to be in my position. I feel like our doing these things made our bond and chemistry go in the right direction as a team, too.”
Ever looking to the future, the Friendly City Friday program — as well as the other outreach efforts — has had Burrows’ desired result in another way. “I want (our players) to get out of their comfort zone,” Burrows explained. “Fridays most of them do not have classes. That’s why we picked that. We’re at these schools at 6:45 a.m., so our guys have got to sacrifice; they’ve got to get up on a day when they don’t have class to meet the kids. My mind never stops thinking about how we can help prepare our guys for the ‘real world’ where they may have jobs or situations that require them to give back. Going to Children’s of Mississippi Hospital and seeing these kids and the realization for our players that the kids they’re visiting may not reach their age is sobering.”
“I hope what our outreach does for all of us, myself included, is that it gives us a perspective of ‘we get to go play basketball' once we leave them. Not all of those we meet may have that opportunity for one reason or another.”
“We talk about being the example that the world needs. Hopefully, that pays off,” Burrows adds.
The over-arching message of friendship and inspiration for Friendly City Fridays is one for all ages and one that is relevant any day of the week.
