Above: Brent Pottenger with former Sacramento Kings player, Tyus Edney (and his son) "You have to have a backup plan," shared one student-athlete this past weekend at GPACompton. Game Plan Academy (GPA) opened camp this past Saturday in Compton, California (Los Angeles). Over the past few months, my brother, Kai Pottenger, and I have worked collaboratively with the Compton Unified School District, Revolution Test Prep, and the University of Southern California to create a small pilot program for male and female basketball players at Dominguez, Centennial, and Compton high schools. The goal of GPA is to provide students (for free) with personalized and professional academic and athletic

Thanks. Thank you. We are thankful. Thanks to Coach John Fleming at Hiram Johnson High School for making his classrooms and fields available these past eight Sundays for Game Plan Academy (GPA).  Please VOTE for Hiram Johnson High School (by clicking here) in Kellogg's 'Plant a Seed' program to "Help Rebuild America's Playing Fields." Here is a message from John Fleming, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Hiram Johnson High School, about this wonderful competition: "Hiram Johnson has nominated our football field for a make-over by Kelloggs. Out of 3,400 nominations, we were selected as a semi-finalist. 30 of the 100 semi-finalists will receive a $15,000 upgrade to the facil

One of the keys to serving local communities effectively is supporting existing institutions that already provide valuable services. The Sacramento Food Bank is one such institution. This past Saturday, Game Plan Academy (GPA) students assembled alongside GPA mentors, Jesuit High School alumni, teachers, students, parents, and staff as part of a GoDoGood project.  The mission of GoDoGood is to capture people's energy to 'do good' and put these passions into action in local communities. The Sacramento Food Bank provides an excellent outlet for Sacramentans who want to 'do good' for those in need in a well-organized, structured, and warm, supportive environment. GoDoGood brought a talented,

"Tweet!" Coach Alex Van Dyke, a former NFL wide-receiver and All-American at the University of Nevada, Reno and the operating owner of AVD's Going Vertical!, blows his whistle (Alex loves his whistle!) to rally the Game Plan Academy (GPA) student-athletes to huddle up. "GPA on three. One. Two. Three. GPA!" Coach Gio Carmazzi, a former NFL quarterback and National Scholar-Athlete at Hofstra University, leads the weekly GPA huddle cheer to conclude the football session during week four of eight this past Sunday, marking the half-way point of GPA. "Half-time!" Energy, enthusiasm, and excitement levels were high this past Sunday at GPA as student-athletes relished their opportunity to tra

Game Plan Academy (GPA) is awesome: the students are awesome (they represent Monterey Trail, Hiram Johnson, Rosemont, Highlands, Burbank, McClatchy, Rio Linda, Sheldon, and Florin High Schools), the facility is awesome (Hiram Johnson High School), the mentorship team is awesome (see www.GamePlanAcademy.com), the guest speakers are awesome (they include Mayor Kevin Johnson and Marty McNeal, to name a few), the sponsors are awesome (they include the Positive Coaching Alliance and Wells Fargo), the concept is awesome (the goal is to develop well-rounded student-athletes), and the camp is going awesomely (come out this Sunday from 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM to see the program in action)! With so much

On Sunday, March 15th, Game Plan Academy (GPA) launched at Hiram Johnson High School. Thanks to the generous sponsorships from Positive Coaching Alliance (www.positivecoach.org), Wells Fargo, and Avanti Restaurant Solutions, what was five months ago a clear vision with a windy path ahead, is now printed logo-wear, yard-markers, test-prep materials, and a group of forty student-athletes working to improve their performances on the field and in the classroom. A local, grassroots initiative, GPA attempts to equip students with a "game plan" for life. Spanning eight Sundays, students receive structured SAT preparation, focused college counseling, and rigorous athletic training. Working with

Social challenges abound in Sacramento: homelessness, health disparities, hunger, and educational achievement gaps. Tackling these challenges effectively requires creativity and collaboration: Sacramento needs local social innovation by dynamic community members. Of course, solving these challenges seems daunting, perhaps overwhelming. But, from the bottom-up, with some energy and effort, small local actions by many community members (Sacramentans) can produce a critical mass of support capable of making positive impacts in people's lives. Game Plan Academy (GPA) is one such project. Yes, Game Plan Academy (GPA) will not, on its own, reverse the widening academic achievement gaps betwee