July 17, 2010
When Gary Payton, a former NBA star and Oakland native, wanted to give back to his hometown, he decided to startup GP Gloves in 2009. Payton, who was in attendance at the inaugural NCAA-sanctioned Nor Cal Summer Tip Off at City College of San Francisco, said, "GP Gloves is to give visibility to Oakland and some of the kids on the team. I wanted to give back to the community."
In 2009, GP Gloves was started with Derek Smith as its first head coach. Smith has deep ties to Gary Payton and to Oakland. Smith is a family friend with Payton's parents. Smith graduated from Oakland Tech in 1977 where he played both baseball and football. He was a baseball teammate of future MLB great, Rickey Henderson.
Smith got his start in coaching basketball in 1989 for the Bushrod Park team, which eventually became the Oakland Rebels. In addition, he was an assistant coach for Fremont High (Oakland). His day job is as a juvenile hall institutional officer for Alameda County. Hence, Smith is a strong believer in discipline. At the Nor Cal Summer Tip Off, Smith reminds one of a shorter version of John Thompson II, the former Georgetown coach, as Smith can be heard barking at the referee one minute and then loudly disciplining his players the next minute.
Smith believes that the purpose of GP Gloves is less basketball and is more of life lessons for his kids. He does not cut any interested kids from his roster, as basketball talent is not the main selection criteria. Smith uses basketball as a vehicle to deliver discipline, respect, and academics. He wants his kids to get good grades, to go to college, and to be a productive member of society. He is a father figure to many of his kids.
GP Gloves runs from March to July each year and has a dedicated staff that is responsible for the mentorship program on the road. That role currently belongs to Assistant Coaches Anthony Jones and Lamar Essig who hold mandatory academic tutoring sessions with the kids. Smith believes that GP Gloves is the only club to have a dedicated staff in that function. The kids need to spend 1.5 hours in study hall daily and are expected to write a daily journal. The mentorship program was started at Oakland Rebels and brought over to GP Gloves last year. Past success stories under Smith's tutelage include Eric Flato (Piedmont, Yale, now playing professionally in England), Alex Harris (St. Joseph's, UC Santa Barbara, now playing professionally in Poland), Quentin Thomas (Oakland Tech, UNC Chapel Hill), among others.
The "GP" in GP Gloves is the initial for Gary Payton. The "Gloves" in GP Gloves is in reference to Gary Payton's playing nickname, "The Glove," as Payton was known to be a tenacious defender. The uniform of GP Gloves is similar to the colors of the now defunct, Seattle Supersonics.
When asked of his current roster that has NCAA potential talent, Smith states the following:
Berry Bell, class of 2011, 6-foot-2, G, McClymonds High: Hard worker. Great defender. Scorer, but not shooter. Contacted by Chico State.
Devareaux Manley, class of 2011, 6-foot-3, G, Castlemont High: Best shooter on the team. Smith wants Manley to work on his defense.
Gary Payton II, class of 2011, 6-foot-2, G, Spring Valley High (Las Vegas): Very high basketball IQ. Not flashy, but can control a game without scoring.
Devon Pouncey, class of 2011, 6-foot-4, F, Rodriguez High: Solid footwork Good post player. Defends well. Plays hard. Undersized forward.
Wayne Tucker, class of 2011, 6-foot-1, G, Technical High: Very strong. Gets to basket with ease. Shoots 3-pt well. Defends well. Smith believes that Tucker can be a good PG on the next level.
Justin Yeargin, class of 2010, 6-foot-0, G, Bishop O'Dowd: Solid. Fundamentally sound.
Partial Summer Schedule for GP Gloves:
Rumble in the Bay, May 29-31
Drew Gooden Event - won Silver Championship
Bushrod Park Event - won second place
Nor Cal Summer Tip Off - July 8-9 CCSF
Adidas super 64 Tournament - July 22-26 Las Vegas
Best of the Summer - July 27-30 Los Angeles
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