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Allen and Lewis became heroes at Cleveland High School as their Ray of Hope and Rashard Lewis Foundations partnered with the Sonics & Storm Foundation to donate new uniforms and $4,000 for supplies after Cleveland's boys' basketball team had its equipment stolen on Sep. 5. Friday morning, Allen and Lewis joined Sonics & Storm Foundation President Karen Bryant to present a sample of the new uniforms as well as a check for $4,000 at a pep assembly.

"It kind of warms the heart, gives you a good feeling, puts a smile on your face." Sonics Photos

"It kind of warms the heart, gives you a good feeling, puts a smile on your face," Lewis said afterwards of the reaction from Cleveland students, who mobbed Allen and Lewis looking for autographs at the conclusion of the assembly and cheered loudly throughout.

It was a triumphant day for Cleveland that contrasted with the sadness of Sep. 5, when the school's Athletic Director and Boys' Basketball Coach, Calvin Johnson, discovered that approximately $7,000 worth of uniforms and equipment had been stolen from the school.

Junior Daniel Hill e-mailed the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to alert the paper to the burglary, leading to an article on Sep. 8. From there, word got to the Sonics about the loss.

"It's sad, first of all, because these are high-school kids and kids that are unfortunate," said Lewis, recalling his response to the news. "They don't have a lot of money to just go out and go purchase uniforms because their uniforms are stolen. These kids are here to play sports. It gets them away from being in the streets and doing a lot of stuff they don't need to be doing. Basketball is a way to keep your grades up and get you to that next level, go on to college and get a scholarship and get an education."

"I said, 'What do we have to do?'" added Allen. "We talked about any financial impact we could have on the situation and I knew automatically that I could do something as far as getting jerseys to help them out replacing them. It's a no-brainer. It's just one of those things that you know this is what we've got to do. There isn't even a question."

Allen and Lewis, through their foundations, worked with the Sonics & Storm Foundation. Allen went to his sponsor, Jordan Brand, to provide uniforms, while Lewis and the Sonics & Storm Foundation provided money for the other equipment lost in the break-in. Additionally, each Cleveland student will receive two tickets to the Sonics Oct. 20 preseason game vs. Portland, while the Sonics will host the boys' basketball team in a suite that evening.

For the Sonics players, their experiences playing prep basketball - and where it has now taken them - motivated the donation.

"We had to work extra-hard to get tennis shoes and to travel," recalled Allen, who attended high school in South Carolina. "We had to raise money on our own, so I know how tough it can be in high school to get the things necessary to compete, play the game you love."

The gesture was certainly appreciated by the Cleveland team.

"I never expected it to be this big," said Hill, who set the process in motion. "I'm just thankful to Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis for helping us out. I really appreciate these guys. Now I'm going to look up to them even more."

The end result was a celebratory assembly that had, in many ways, the atmosphere of a basketball game. Before the start of the assembly, Cleveland players gathered in a brief huddle as they would before a game.

"It's better than an experience on the court," said Hill. "Hopefully we can have this experience winning the state championship this year. I think we've got the guys to do it."

"I've missed that sound," Lewis said. "It felt like a basketball game, our fans screaming for us."

They were screaming for all the right reasons.

Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis (behind Allen) and Karen Bryant present a check for $4,000 to the Cleveland Boys' Basketball Team.
Sonics Photos