Birth of a Salesman

“Thanks for coming to our school,” said Eric, a sixth grader at Oakwood Middle School in Eastpointe. Smith, the director of the Pistons School Assembly program, acknowledged the gesture with a handshake and a smile. Many of Smith’s assemblies include a dunk show by Hooper & The Flight Crew, the popular “students vs. teachers” shooting contest and a variety of Pistons giveaways. What Eric remembered most was Aaron’s offer, “when he told us we were going to be selling tickets, and whoever sells the most tickets gets to be the ball boy.”

It was an offer that Eric and his schoolmates couldn’t refuse, scrambling to be Oakwood’s top ticket-seller for the right to be a Pistons ball boy at the Dec. 9 game against the Charlotte Bobcats. In the process, the students raised nearly $3,500 for their school. But it was the perks - an individual picture with the Pistons’ three NBA championship trophies, sitting courtside to watch the teams’ pregame shootaround, a discounted ticket to the game and a postgame shot on the court - that had all the students and their families feeling like they got the better part of the deal.

“I haven’t been to a lot of Pistons games and I certainly I have not been on the floor of the Pistons,” Eric said, standing on that very floor. He then scuffed his sneakers on the blue hardwood, just to make sure it was real. “Oh, it’s great.”

‘Other school fundraisers… this one was different’

When schools call Aaron about the School Assembly Fundraiser, they can expect to get their money’s worth. Students sell $25 tickets to an upcoming Pistons game (regularly priced between $35 and $40), and $10 of every ticket sold goes back to the school.

The students at Oakwood sold 341 total tickets to the Dec. 9 game. The $3,410 they raised is one of the most profitable showings for the fledgling fundraising initiative. At the end of the school year, the school that raises the most money will receive a second assembly - this time with a Pistons player in attendance. Schools are encouraged to sell at least 200 tickets but most surpass that with ease, like Mohawk Elementary in Macomb, which sold 250 tickets to the same game, raising $2,500 in school funds.

“We’ve done other school fundraisers but this one was different,” said Pamela Hicks, whose sons, Brandon, 7, and Lewis III, 9, were the ball boys representing Mohawk Elementary. “I got a lot of support from people so this one was a go for us.”

Pamela, a Detroit police officer, found a lot of interested customers on the force, eventually selling a school-best 31 tickets to the Bobcats game. “We’ve sold candy, we’ve sold snacks, we’ve sold cookie dough,” Pamela said. “But this one by far was probably one of the best.”

Pamela and her husband, Lewis, said the difference was their children’s enthusiasm. “The boys were very excited,” Pamela recalled. “They came home and said, ‘Mom, we want to be ball boys for the Pistons. Can you help us with it?’ And I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to do it.’ And that was it.’”

‘How many tickets did you sell?’

The program drew similar interest from older students, to the surprise of Tammy Morris, mother of 13-year-old Keith Morris, an eighth grader at Oakwood. “He was excited. He never brings me anything,” Tammy said. “He had those papers in his hand and handed them to me soon as he walked in the door.”

Eric was eager to start selling right away, too. “He was absolutely ecstatic, in fact so much so, that he couldn’t wait to find out who won,” said his mother, Jamie. “Dad had to call The Palace a couple times to see if 39 tickets was enough. And then (Eric) called each person who bought a ticket and thanked them individually.”

Eric sold all 39 tickets to family members, including aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. “Nine hundred, seventy-five dollars worth,” Jamie said proudly. “Enough to get a lot of band uniforms.” Eric kept count another way. “While I was selling my tickets, like every day I would ask five people at my school ‘How many tickets did you sell?’ to make sure I was pretty far in the (lead).”

In the end, Eric’s family wasn’t large enough. Keith, who sold 59 tickets, edged him to be ball boy. “This was all he wanted, to meet the Pistons, so that was my goal,” Tammy said. She sold tickets to family and coworkers. “I have 20 or so Kroger people here today,” she said. “It made the boss really mad. He said, ‘You took all my employees, who’s going to work the store?’”

There was no secret to Tammy’s sales method; the Pistons’ popularity did it for her. “It wasn’t hard, everyone loves the Pistons,” she said. “It was easy to sell. We’ve done candy, pizza, but this is the most fun. I would do it again.”

Though Eric didn’t get to be ball boy, the Gipsons were not disappointed. At his second game ever at The Palace, Eric saw the Pistons win in a rout, 104-85. “This is better than he was imagining,” said Jamie, who was courtside with Eric before the game. “We had no idea they were going to let us come down here (on the floor). Aaron’s been awesome, he’s just made his year.”

Perhaps the Pistons should call it a fun-raiser.

Contact Aaron at asmith@palacenet.com or 248-377-0134 for more information on the School Assembly Fundraiser program or to schedule an assembly at your school.