Kevin Love blows me away.
I came across this article today in the Oregonian and was really really moved by it. It’s a story about Love and his noteworthy experiences with a 7-year-old boy named Qwendarius. Here are a few excerpts:
The children sang out loud. And they sang in their hearts. When the singing was done, everyone at the table leaned close and helped blow out the candles. Then, someone passed out tiny pieces of cake, and a little boy in a striped polo shirt named Qwendarius, 7, handed everyone a box of juice.
Then, someone pointed to the bicycle.
It’s bright yellow, like a taxi, HUMMER brand. It has a steel frame, and suspension fork, and hand brakes on the front and rear. The tires are oversized, and the seat is black. Retail price: $49.99.
You should know the UCLA freshman bought this bike for Qwendarius a few months ago…
Said Langston: “I told Kevin the kid had nothing, but this bike, this really is something, isn’t it?”
Langston, who played basketball at Long Beach State in the 1980s, brought Love to Watts during his first week on campus at UCLA. Langston, who knew Love from coaching him in a summer league once, also drove Love to a neighborhood barbershop in nearby Carson to get his first college haircut.
“The barbershop was a test,” Langston said.
When Love came in for his first college haircut, Langston said, “Here comes this big, goofy-looking white guy whose mother had given him every haircut of his life, and he walks into a tough room, and I just watched to see how he’d handle it.”
By the time Love left, he was slapping backs and shaking hands, and the barbers had given UCLA’s freshman their blessing. That’s when Langston asked Love if he wouldn’t mind making one more stop before he headed back to campus.
Because last year, Langston checked in on the kid and found a teenaged boy had trapped Qwendarius’ 8-year old sister, Kimberly, in the back bedroom, and was removing her clothes.
“He was preparing to sexually assault her, and little man was there, watching, trying to stop him. They’re sweet kids. All of ‘em. And man, these kids, look at ‘em, and look at what they’re dealing with, and it just makes you want to cry, don’t it?”
That’s how a 7-year-old boy ended up riding a bright yellow bicycle to Friday’s birthday party. And it’s why Qwendarius pulled his bike inside the iron gates before it closed, setting it down gently on the courtyard grass, right about the time the birthday candles were being lit.
Turns out you can accomplish more than you think in one year of college.
Kevin Love. Mature. Intelligent. Selfless. Down-to-earth. Inspiring.
The Oregon game starts in about 10 minutes. I’ll be in the BruinVille chat. Check back for highlights at the half if vidman13 is feeling generous.
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
And now the NCAA will start investigating this situation with the bike. I hear Qwendarius has some big upside. Anyone know what his scout.com rating is?
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
hahhahahhaha. He’s from the same hood as Afflalo so that’s gotta be a good. Qwendarius is also a pretty kick ass name. If the tightness of a name were tied to growth spurts, He’d be a top prospect out of high school.