The OVS boys’ basketball team has been playing with the same jerseys for about seven years, and after that much use they look and feel worn-out and tired.
Recognizing a need, OVS alumni and former basketball team member, Max Wheeler, decided to make a very generous donation.
“When I was a senior I saw that soccer and baseball got new jerseys, and I saw that they were donations from parents [whose] children played on the team,” said Wheeler. “I decided to do my part and get basketball new jerseys so that we could stay on the same level as all the other sports.”
On Thursday, a boys’ basketball meeting was called on the back patio of the cafeteria.
There, they were presented with new team uniforms, consisting of 15 uniforms and warm up shirts.
The jerseys are dark green with numbers are printed under the Ojai Valley School logo in white. The donation also included a set of white and green long-sleeve warm up shirts.
Max is not the first alumni to donate a set of jerseys. Over the past 5 years alumni have purchased a combined three sets of team uniforms for various teams.
Athletic Director Craig Floyd said, “It’s a tremendous gesture for Max, being a recent alumni to make such a generous donation that he felt so passionate about.”
There was an obvious look of excitement on the faces of the boys on the team. There had been a buzz about the team getting new jerseys, but there had been nothing to prove that it was real until the jerseys were handed out.
“They’re really nice jerseys,” said Cody Triggs, Captain of the basketball team. “I appreciate his generosity. We’ve been needing new jerseys for a long time, and I’m excited to play in them.”