SAN ANTONIO – Amid her busy schedule with the USC women’s basketball team, former four-year Brandeis starter Rian Forestier made a quick trip home to the Alamo City for the holiday and surprised Davis Middle School girls' basketball players with a new pair of kicks.
Forestier started a non-profit about two years ago called ‘4WARD’, inspired by her former AAU teammate who almost quit playing basketball because she didn’t have a good pair of basketball shoes.
“The kids were making fun of her, and she went home and said, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore; I want to quit,’” recalled Forestier. “It just blew my mind — not only because she’s one of my college teammates now and could’ve gone to whatever school she wanted to in the nation — but also because that should never be a reason a kid stops playing a sport that they could possibly love.”
On Monday, 4WARD and the Spurs Foundation teamed up for a surprise that is sure to leave a lasting impact on Davis Middle School students, coaches, and families.
The 7th and 8th-grade Cougars basketball team thought they were walking into the Davis Middle School gym for practice, but instead, Forestier and the Spurs’ mascot were there to reveal the surprise.
New shoes, free Raising Canes, and autographs from Forestier herself.
Forestier says her focus is to provide under-resourced middle schools with shoes because most Title 1 Middle Schools in San Antonio — a school that receives federal funding to help low-income students succeed academically — are in need.
“My mom and I did research and learned that 85% of players at Title 1 Middle Schools in San Antonio don’t have the right shoes to play the game of basketball,” said Forestier. “There are 47,000 Title 1 Middle Schools in the U.S. — and almost 5,000 are here in San Antonio alone.”
Forestier’s return to San Antonio came just two days after the No. 4 Trojans edged out UConn 72-70 in an instant classic.
Only a freshman, Forestier is soaking up every moment playing on a star-studded squad with national title aspirations.
“It’s awesome,” said Forestier. “I’m learning so much there every single day. I genuinely feel like every single day I’ve gotten so much better and learned so much. We’re on a road to win a natty right now, it’s awesome.”
