The faculty at Roosevelt Middle School in Oak Park pleaded for their students to return to class. The teachers, many of whom adorned over their customary work attire the same Detroit Pistons jerseys and shirts as their pupils, were not distressed when some sixth and seventh graders didn't make for the exits. Besides, kids weren’t running all over the gym - they were making a beeline for the opposite wall.

Specifically, they were making a beeline for Aaron Smith.

Smith, director of the Pistons’ Year Round Hoops program, had just orchestrated an hour-long presentation with the Pistons' mascot, Hooper, and the Pistons' trampoline dunk team, the Flight Crew. Smith hardly had time to wipe his brow in the non-air conditioned gymnasium before he was awash in a sea of hands.

Some hands wanted a Pistons' headband or a t-shirt from the box of freebies next to him. Some were waving for Smith's attention to ask a question or get a picture in front of the Pistons’ three NBA championship trophies, which stood on the table just a few feet away. And then there were some hands, as peculiar as it sounds, that seemed to reach out just to touch him, like admirers of rock stars and celebrities do.

When the crowd dispersed, B.J. Smith, a sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Roosevelt, apologized to his younger brother. "Sorry for the rush," he told Aaron. "We don't get too many programs out here. The kids are so excited."

And who could blame them? It’s hard not to be excited at that age watching Hooper and the Flight Crew, not at The Palace, be in their gym. The contests, music and dunks generate a carnival atmosphere at Smith’s school assemblies. But at the core of this high-wire act is an earnest lesson.

Getting their attention

"I liked when Hooper was out there and dancing and stuff; it was fun," said seventh-grader Kalecia Samuel. "It was very nice." Kalecia's classmate, Stephanie Jones, liked the students' victory over the teachers in the free-throw shootout. "I guess it proves if you can put your mind to it, you can do good," she said.

That's exactly the message the Roosevelt staff wanted to get across to their students before Monday, the first day of MEAP testing across the state. "We’re always looking for ways to motivate our students," said Eric Scott, a social worker at Roosevelt. "We can’t educate until we get their attention, so this is just one of the ways to get their attention."

Encouraging “school first” is a central part of Smith’s larger message. “What I hear a lot of is, ‘Your brother’s cool and he does the right things also,’” B.J. said. “It’s okay to have that balance, to be cool and part of the in-crowd and do the right things also in life. For me that’s the biggest thing I want the kids to take from this.”

Scott said Smith’s message relates to Roosevelt’s own positive reinforcement initiatives. "It ties exactly into what we’ve been promoting with these students this year, in terms of looking at (students) being responsible, being respectful and safe,” he said. “Everything he said just tied right into what we’re pushing these kids to do."

“His story is powerful”

The students’ imaginations ran wild when they first heard about “a Pistons assembly.”

"I really thought it was going to be boring but ever since we knew about this, it made our week better," Kalecia said. "Everybody thought Chauncey Billups was coming but he didn’t come."

Any initial disappointment faded when Smith began to tell the story he'll tell dozens of schools between now and June. The story of how he became a Detroit Piston because he was raised to say "please" and "thank you" and to remember that school always came first, even before basketball. The story that ends when Aaron says hard work can make dreams come true - then pulls out his NBA championship ring to prove it.

“I just know his story is powerful and the kids needed to hear it,” B.J. said. Once they did, they rushed the floor.

Standing in the post-assembly throng, one student extended the pen in his hand toward Smith, who has never played in an NBA game. "Can I have your autograph?" he asked hopefully.

Not every Pistons role model wears a jersey.

Contact Aaron at asmith@palacenet.com or 248-377-0134 for more information on the Year Round Hoops program or to schedule a YRH assembly at your school.