The sounds of crinkling plastic and excited giggles filled the gym as the Navarro Early College High School girl’s basketball team eagerly opened the packages gifted to them by Aaliyah Crump.
The new five-star freshman at Texas surprised the team on Tuesday with bags of basketball gear that included shoes, jackets, shorts, sweatpants and backpacks.
“I just wanted to give back to you guys,” Crump said to the team. “This is a new community that I’m joining. And so I just want to support you guys in whatever I can … this is just a little glimpse of the support that I’ll be showing this year, but I hope you guys enjoy it.”
Crump patiently watched as the girls tried on their new clothes and shoes, offering help and exchanging sizes when needed. The team chattered among themselves, holding up and admiring their new gear.
“I felt very appreciated,” junior Kaitlyn Simmons said. “A lot of people at my school aren’t as fortunate as others. So being able to get equipment like game gear, shorts, shoes and all that, it definitely helps.”
In addition to gifting them gear, Aaliyah Crump also led the team in making vision boards. She sat in a circle and chatted with the girls as they cut out and glued magazine clippings onto their boards. She highlighted the importance of growth and writing goals down as a daily reminder to make them easier to accomplish.
“It’s just super cool to see their goals that they have,” Crump said. “Each of us have different goals that we have for ourselves, and so to come together and kind of talk about them and put them down on a piece of paper is just super inspiring to see, and I’m excited to see them accomplish these goals in the future.”
The impact of the vision boards extends beyond that moment, bringing the team closer together both on and off the court.
“Sometimes you play on teams, and you don’t even talk to your teammates,” head coach Corey Bullard said. “Until moments like this, where you get to have these experiences. You get to see their boards and say, ‘Oh, I like cars, too.’ Seeing that you have things in common with somebody allows it to be a little easier on the court because now, I have that connection with you personally.”
While Bullard viewed the experience as an opportunity for his team to grow closer, for the girls, it carried a deeper meaning.
“It gives me hope that I can achieve what I want to achieve,” Simmons said. “I learned that if I ever get in the position in which she is in, that giving back to the community would be something I definitely want to do. … Seeing somebody who actually is in that position is inspiring.”
Just a year ago, Crump was in that same position, a high school basketball player looking up to athletes like Paige Bueckers and Maya Moore. Now, she has become that role model for the generation below her.
“They’re at the younger stages, and they’re still striving for greatness,” Crump said. “And so seeing them at those young ages, I just want to inspire them and just instill them with that confidence that allows them to reach their goals that they have for the future.”
