As Malcolm Dandridge stood in front of the classroom and read the book aloud, the children hung on to his every word.

The second and third graders sat at their desks and alternated between watching the Memphis Tigers’ 6-foot-9 center point to words on the page and following along with the books in their hands.

It was about 30 minutes prior on Friday afternoon when Dandridge and his teammates walked into a gymnasium at Bruce Elementary during a pep rally to surprise the school’s nearly 500 students as part of Coaching for Literacy’s Lead & Read event. Coaching for Literacy is a Memphis-based nonprofit that uses sports to promote childhood literacy.

Jonathan Bowlan is second former Tiger this year to earn call-up to MLB

The children let out high-pitched screams and waved blue and gray pom-poms when the Tigers team entered the building in a single-file line.

“This is why we bring in athletes,” said Jason Baker, co-executive director of Coaching for Literacy. “It’s not going to be a fix-all for the cause of literacy, but we can bring a different angle to it.”

With a brand-new Memphis team largely composed of transfers from all around the U.S., coach Penny Hardaway wanted to find a way to integrate his players into the community. So the Tigers — in partnership with Coaching for Literacy and Bluff City NIL — targeted Bruce Elementary, a school at which the literacy rate recently took a dip.

When the students’ excitement from the pep rally carried into the classroom, it was clear that the team’s efforts would be successful.

Players split up into groups of two and three to read to kids in five different rooms.

Dandridge and Jayden Hardaway — both returnees from last season’s team — shared a room, as did transfers Jahvon Quinerly, Jordan Brown and Joe Cooper. Freshman Ashton Hardaway and transfers Caleb Mills and David Jones did the same.

Transfers Nick Jourdain, Jayhlon Young and Jonathan Pierre were in one room; freshman JJ Taylor and transfer Jaykwon Walton were in another. Freshman Carl Cherenfant and transfer Noah Stansbury sat in a room next door.

“This is why we bring in athletes. It’s not going to be a fix-all for the cause of literacy, but we can bring a different angle to it.”

Jason Baker
Co-executive director of Coaching for Literacy

Bruce Elementary principal LaShanda Foster, who had been searching for ways to stress the importance of reading to her students, was thrilled with the way the afternoon unfolded.

“They paid attention to the excitement that (the players) were reading with,” Foster said, “so the children were motivated throughout the entire story.”

Aside from reading to the kids, the Tigers also handed out school supplies and posed for photos. SFR University, a corporate sponsor of Coaching for Literacy, gave out books for each student to take home.

Baker hopes to get the Tigers make appearances like these at schools in the area in the future. The 2007 University of Memphis graduate understands the power of Memphis basketball in the city as well as anyone and wants to continue to use that as a way to make a difference with the local youth.

“It felt like the perfect blend of energy,” Baker said. “The kids were really excited to see them.”

Before the event ended and the students were dismissed, Dandridge went from room to room. He wanted to leave the children with one last message.

“Make sure y’all read this book and practice reading, OK?” Dandridge said while holding the book he’d read to the kids. “Great job today.”