Michelle Murphy wanted to do something special for her son, Jack. Jack is a forward on the 5th/6th grade boys’ basketball team at Orchard School in Indianapolis. So, at a recent charity auction for the school, one of the items up for bid that interested Michelle the most was a chance to have Indiana Pacers Head Coach Frank Vogel run a practice at the school.
“I was more excited about it than Jack,” said Michelle. “And Jack was thrilled.”
So Frank Vogel showed up for a practice at the northside school and both Orchard coach Andre Kirtz and Owls athletic director Steve Thompson were thrilled. “I know the kids will learn something from Coach Vogel,” said Kirtz. “And I’m hoping to pick up some pointers too.”
“We at Orchard are all excited about having Coach Vogel on our grounds for this practice,” offered Thompson, himself a basketball coach who has won over 700 games. “And, I personally am excited about the Pacers this year. I can’t wait to get down to Conseco for a game.”
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ogel put the kids through a 90-minute practice filled with fundamental drills. “I was that age once myself,” said the Pacers coach. “It was nice to get down and seriously work at it with the kids. These kids are well coached and were very advanced. “ Vogel, who left the team with some Pacers goodies, even taught the boys how to spin a ball on his fingertips and he invited the team down to a Pacers game.
“The day could not have turned out any better,” said Michelle Murphy. “The kids will remember this for a long, long time. GO PACERS!”