Leisure

How a former pro basketball player improves the odds for at-risk youth

by Chris Warren
[ Updated: Jul 14, 2008 - 4:49:57 PM ]

The man Brian Taylor, 55, former professional basketball player and current principal at the inner-city Los Angeles charter school View Park Preparatory

The call After a decade-long pro hoops career that included teaming up with Dr. J for two ABA championships with the New York Nets, Taylor settled into a comfortable job as a coach and administrator at the ritzy L.A. private school Harvard-Westlake, which educates the offspring of people such as Steven Spielberg. But five years ago, Taylor got a call from his friend Mike Piscal, who was on the other end of the line, begging. Piscal had launched a charter school in an area of South L.A. that is plagued by gangs, and he desperately needed Taylor’s help.

The response Taylor left his secure position at a school with unlimited resources to become the principal of a charter school that didn’t have enough public funding to own the buildings in which it housed classes. He knew how badly the children needed him, because he grew up in the projects of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. “These were kids like myself—inner-city kids, disadvantaged kids, African-American kids,” he says. In fact, Taylor escaped his own surroundings and got into Princeton in large part because of the influence of his high school guidance counselor, Bob Estok. The mentor gave Taylor a copy of The Black Athlete: A Shameful Story, a book about the exploitation of African-American athletes. “I said right then that I’m going to be somebody who can rid the stereotype that jocks are dumb,” says Taylor. Now he gives his students a similar message. “I motivate them to think that academics are the avenue for them to do whatever they want.” And since arriving, Taylor has made a huge impact. Despite being located in an area where only 7 percent of incoming high school freshman go on to earn a college degree, View Park Prep routinely posts among the top standardized test scores in the state. Taylor believes that his and his staff’s personal involvement is an essential ingredient in the school’s success, particularly with the kids who have troubled home lives. “You understand that there’s something missing,” he says. “They’re probably going to screw up a little bit more, but you give them more opportunities.”

The advice Being a good mentor is like being a detective. Taylor is constantly probing students, teachers, and parents for information about kids’ interests. His sleuthing helps establish a bond and a dialogue with students, which is important when kids seem wary of adult input.

The payoff In his work, Taylor has seen just how tough it is for kids who don’t have much, or any, parental support—an observation that has helped him become a better father. “I realized how important it is for me to be there for my child,” says Taylor, whose two youngest children will soon attend View Park.  chris warren