LeBron James soles hit the hardwood at Paramount. Coach Hunt bought his players the shoes.

Shoes. You may call them sneakers, basketball shoes or gym shoes. Or Red Ball Jets for the longtime fans of Ball Band. It all adds up to the same thing — shoes. However, sometimes there is a deeper meaning. These shoes are about teamwork and pride.

The shoe story starts with an explanation and a location. Paramount School of Excellence is a charter school in the former Tarkington Elementary School. The charter opened there after Tarkington closed in 2021.

The first basketball team formed in the fall. Michael Hunt is the second grade teacher and the coach. They worked on the fundamentals and skills for the fourth, fifth and sixth graders — boys and girls.

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Michael said most of the children have never played on a competitive sports team. “They played sports but not organized. They played in backyards.”

Shoes were an issue. “Some wore Crocs,” Michael said.

That was definitely a problem.

Coach Michael bought more than 20 pairs of LeBron James shoes for the team. He presented the shoes before the first scrimmage against Heroes Camp in early December.

The result was smiles all around.

Cost? That didn’t matter too much. “It is more than basketball. The most important thing is the classroom work and a sense of belonging,” Michael said. “I want them to know that I care and (that) they can do better. It is setting them on the right road.”

Michael said he played basketball and it kept him on the straight and narrow. He also had a teacher, Sean Bosley, who motivated him.

“I could have taken the wrong road," Michael said. "I was a class clown and would try to get away with things.”

Sean was a sixth grade teacher at Monroe School. Today, he teaches at McClelland Elementary School, Wayne Township, Indianapolis. “Michael was a fantastic kid, with a great work ethic. I am a demanding teacher and he had the right attitude in the classroom and playing basketball,” Sean said.

Sean has remained friends with Michael and his family. If there are questions and concerns about teaching, the two are just a phone call away.

“I heard about the shoe purchase and that is something those kids will never forget," Sean said. "You hope that those students will pay it forward and do something for kids in the future.”

Michael graduated from Ball State University with a degree in education. “Teachers help students to grow every day.” The shoes were part of it.

Probably saying it was the sole of the program is too much.

The school played its last game Jan. 12. All the players and staff were expected to wear the LeBron shoes. School administrators were sure the gym would be filled with cheering fans.

The school had plans to make a fun music video for the program with Coach Hunt as the headliner.

We all hope to hear more about how that went. It is shoe business.

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Here are a few items that have been stored in the inbox waiting for the light of day.

Former Lakeville resident Michael Dosmann has a great title. He is the Keeper of the Living Collections at Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. He took a trip in the fall to trek through the forests of Japan to collect plants. The trip brought home about 20 species of woody plants that will be researched and conserved.

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The Arnold is the oldest arboretum in North America. It just turned 152 years old.

Michael is a1992 graduate of LaVille High School. He went on to study at Purdue, Iowa State and Cornell. He is the son of David and Bobbi Dosmann.

This trip was part of the 10-year initiative that seeks to accelerate the arboretum’s efforts to document, collect and preserve plants — particularly those of conservation concern — to help scientists address global challenges over the next century. It is all for the good of the planet.

Michael once explained that his work is like Indiana Jones with plants and, sometimes, a few snakes.

The Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards were presented in the fall. The awards honor achievement in athletics and life. The Rockne Living Legend Award was presented to Thom Gatewood, from the class of 1972. He was a consensus All-American wide receiver and College Football Hall of Famer. He served as the first Black captain of Notre Dame football and was an Academic All-American.

Other honorees included: NCAA champion men's lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan; retired long-time ND broadcaster Jack Nolan; assistant director of Notre Dame bands Larry Dwyer; ND senior deputy athletic director Missy Conboy; South Bend businessman and philanthropist Michael Leep; curator of Notre Dame collectibles Jim "Augie" Augustine; and basketball analyst and Notre Dame parent Dick Vitale.

Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: LeBron James sneakers gift of coach to players at South Bend charter school