FORT WORTH -- Former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson huddled with Dunbar High School students Tuesday and told the teens how to stay out of the emergency room.
The Brooklyn Nets coach wasn't giving tips on staying safe on the basketball court. Instead, Johnson gave the students a message on avoiding the "emergency rooms of life," such as failing classes or going to jail."You've got a lot of different emergency rooms that are not necessarily in the hospital," he said. "It could be not reaching your fullest potential."Johnson's 25-minute motivational talk centered on words that started with "re." He gave a word or phrase and asked the students to repeat it.First up: refocus."The focus you had last year is not going to be good enough this year," he said. "You're going to have more challenging classes. You've got to reapply yourself."Next word: relationship: Maintaining good relationships with teachers, with coaches, in college and on the job is critical, Johnson said."I have a lot of players that have tried out for the NBA. They can jump, they can dunk, they can shoot, but they've got a bad relationship with the coach. So we can't have them a part of our team. Because they think they know everything. They don't want to listen to the coach, they don't want to listen to the teacher," Johnson said.Last words: remove, relocate. Johnson told the teens that sometimes it's best to remove themselves from negative situations and relocate."I had a lot of friends when I was growing up -- they just wanted to steal cars, skip school and cheat on tests, gang bang. I had to remove myself from that circle and relocate to a different circle," he said.One of 10 children, Johnson grew up in New Orleans and graduated from an all-boys Catholic school. Later, he earned a degree at Southern University in Louisiana. He played 16 years in the NBA and was an assistant and head coach for the Dallas Mavericks before working as an ESPN studio analyst.The Dunbar talk was arranged through Just Say YES, a Richardson-based organization that brings programs to students, parents and educators. Johnson also spoke at Handley Middle School on Tuesday.Johnson's background makes his message understandable to students, said Regina Williams, a Dunbar High staffer who organized the event."When they see someone who comes from their circumstances, they are able to relate. He knows what those obstacles and challenges are," Williams said. "Our biggest thing this year is to empower our students to not allow anything to stop them from succeeding."Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326Twitter: @jessamybrownHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
