One of Rising Stars' most popular and certainly most endearing yearly programs is the K–3rd grade Little Stars. Talking to Rising Stars Founder Paul Savramis, we asked about how this program began for Rising Stars and why it's one of his favorites.
Q: We see that your Little Stars program starts up again this fall. Why is this program so special?
Paul Savramis: Little Stars is special because it has a great backstory, and that story has a personal meaning for me. Little Stars came about from a program that was started by a great friend and former President 30 years ago, Mr. Jim Davis. It's also a program that I never understood until Jim made me a believer.
Q: Tell us a bit about Mr. Davis, how you met, and why you needed to become a believer in the idea of a Little Stars program.
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| Jim Davis |
Paul Savramis: To start, you need to know that Jim was, and is, a part of NYC history. Jim started that history as a basketball player on the 1952 St. John's National Championship team versus Kansas that also featured a young Dean Smith.
Q: That's some history right there.
Paul Savramis: That's just the beginning. Although St. John's lost that final game, they upset powerhouse Kentucky, the team favored to win, to get there. 1952 remains a legacy year for St. John's. Jim then went on to play for the NBA's Charlotte Royals and continued his career and legend as one of the most decorated homicide detectives in NYC.
Q: That's a true NYC story to really talk about, both on and off the court.
Paul Savramis: Yes, it is, and at 93 years young, Jim's story is one I never get tired of sharing.
Q: But how did Jim Davis and the idea of Little Stars come about for Rising Stars?
Paul Savramis: First and foremost, there was no Rising Stars Little Stars when I met Jim. It was just something Jim was doing with basketball for children in pre-K that he had to convince me was possible to do at that age.
Q: Why did you have to be convinced?
Paul Savramis: Basketball is not a game that is easy to just pick up at any age, and to think of it being taught to pre-K students that were still learning to master basic motor skills was hard for me to process. I was a professional basketball clinician and had a master's degree in physical education and still couldn't begin to imagine what he was describing.
Q: What did Coach Davis have to say to make you a believer?
Paul Savramis: He didn't have to say anything. He brought me to the gym where it was happening, and he showed me. What I saw was kids doing things that were simply amazing for that age. They were dribbling, passing, shooting, and best of all, having the time of their lives!
Q: That's a great story, but wasn't there something Coach Davis said to you after you saw the class?
Paul Savramis: Yes, there was, and it was something that's stuck with me for 30 years after he said it. It's still something I say to others today. "Paul Savramis, these kids are doing things YOU don't think they can do. That's because no one told them that they can't do it. Get a child's attention at any age and show them something they want to do, and you'll see that there's never anything that child can't do."
That idea, that "Anything is Possible," stuck with me ever since that day. It is a foundation that I build on with everything we do for our kids today. Jim's thinking back then and his uncanny ability in teaching and working with younger kids became one of the most popular programs in NY for all kids at any age. It's a privilege for me and for Rising Stars to see that continue today.
