Blazers bid up for others

**tlongII** · 10-23-2009

http://columbian.com/article/2009102.../1001/SPORTS01

Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan made a difference. So did guard Brandon Roy.

Unprovoked, unorchestrated, the duo reached out and offered a helping hand last Saturday night during the organization's inaugural Hoops and Heart fundraiser at the Rose Garden in Portland.

McMillan reached out first.

Initially, he told his wife to place a bid. Up for auction: A 20-person basketball clinic hosted by McMillan, featuring a guest speaking appearance by former Blazers coach Dr. Jack Ramsay.

"She refused to do it," McMillan said laughing.

So Sarge decided to step up. The bidding was stuck at $2,500, and McMillan wanted to get the price up to $3,000.

A final call was announced, and Portland's coach came through. He won the event — originally billed as a corporate-based function — he was slated to host Dec. 16, and was soon teased that he only placed a high bid because he wanted to get out of coaching it.

But McMillan had a better, more rewarding idea: He immediately turned around and donated the clinic to students at St. Mary's Home for Boys, a residential treatment service for at-risk children between the ages of 10-17, located in Beaverton, Ore.

McMillan said he has developed a strong, positive relationship with the boys at St. Mary's, many of whom have been severely abused and deal with emotional and behavioral problems.

In 2007, McMillan bused the Blazers to St. Mary's. The team practiced, and then scrimmaged the school's basketball team.

The past two seasons, Portland's coach has brought about 30 St. Mary's boys with no place to go on Christmas day to a game at the Rose Garden.

"There are unbelievable stories over there with some of those young men," McMillan said. "And I've basically told them about my growing up without a father and being raised by a mother and she had six kids."

Lynda Walker, director of development community relations at St. Mary's, stated that she began to cry last Saturday evening when she realized what McMillan was really doing.

"He has been such a saint to these kids," Walker said.

Now, McMillan is giving back again. And each time he gives, he sends a message to the St. Mary's boys: Yes, the challenges you face are hard and steep. But they can be overcome, and you are not alone.

"For me, it's just about the kids," McMillan said. "And when I feel it's right to do it, I do it."

He was not the only Blazer who did right last Saturday. Roy reached out, too.

Also up for auction: A chance to hang out with Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, and design a shoe for Aldridge to wear.

Like McMillan, Roy got in on the bidding. And just like McMillan, the Blazers' star guard had an ulterior motive.

Roy had just finished listening to a speech by Anthony Blackmon, a 17-year-old Portland resident who attends Albina Youth Opportunity School and participates in the Friends of the Children mentor program.

Roy, who had met Blackmon twice before and remembered his face, was inspired by the young man's words.

"He gave his speech about how he turned his life around, and how's he's trying to be more of a leader," Roy said. "I just kind of wanted to in a way reward him for just doing the right thing. Because I think sometimes that often gets overlooked. Sometimes people say, 'Oh, he's doing the right thing; he's supposed to.' Well, this is a kid who comes from a tough background."

Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard said he watched Roy's eyes light up during the auction. The Blazers GM saw a look on Roy's face normally reserved for fourth-quarter clutch time.

"I could tell he wasn't losing that," Pritchard said. "I've seen that look before."

The look was for real, and Roy came through. He won a bidding war with ex-Blazer Brian Grant, dropping more than $5,000 to secure the right to design a shoe for Aldridge.

Then Roy followed his coach's lead: He immediately handed the winning bid over to Blackmon.

"It was really, really great," Blackmon said. "I have no words … I didn't know he was going to do that."

Roy did. And just like McMillan, he did the right thing — he made a difference.