Since he was in junior high, Aaron Smith knew he wanted to be a Detroit Piston.
And now he is, in a way, although he’s not a famous face on the team.
Smith is the Palace Sports & Entertainment Year Round Hoops Director, representing the Pistons organization in local schools, as he encourages kids to make school their number one priority.
Smith visited Oakview Middle School in Lake Orion on Nov. 7, talking to seventh-graders and some eighth-graders about keeping a positive attitude, as well as other skills to be as successful in life as the Pistons are on the basketball court.
‘I was the best (basketball) player in my middle school,? Smith said. ‘I wanted to practice all the time…but my mom said ‘School comes first.??
Smith said he listened to his mother, and eventually he was playing basketball at the University of Michigan. After earning his degree, he wrote a letter to the Pistons telling them he wanted to play for the team.
‘The Pistons called me,? he said.
‘They told me I wasn’t good enough to play for them. But they said they wanted me to come work for the organization.?
Smith now gets to hang out with the players and even sports his own championship ring, courtesy of the team.
After Smith’s talk, some of the students challenged their teachers to a basketball shoot-off competition, which the students won.
The Detroit Pistons? Back in School program is new this year, and Smith said by March he will have visited over 100 schools.
‘The message is, school comes first, that’s the main thing,? he said. ‘Basketball is second. We use the game to deliver the message.?
The program also includes camps and clinics, and a truck tour in the summer.
For more information, visit www.pistons.com.