Birmingham, Ala. – In a continuing effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, the SEC once again highlighted a Community Service Team for men’s basketball for the 2020-21 season.
This marks the 25th year for the SEC Community Service Team for men’s basketball as well as for women’s basketball. All 21 league-sponsored sports have had a Community Service Team since 2004, with at-large teams for men’s and women’s sports being chosen from 1999-2003. The SEC began this concept with a football Community Service Team in 1994.
Noah Gurley, Alabama
An FCA Leader on campus where he leads Bible studies. A member of the 2021-22 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, Gurley is a senior majoring in hospitality management.
Derrian Ford, Arkansas
Since arriving in Fayetteville, Ford has entrenched himself in the community, using his platform as a member of the Razorback basketball program to give back to those that do so much to support him and the Razorbacks. As an education major, he has worked with the Extra Yard for Teachers. Also, takes his position as a role model seriously by supporting several children’s charities such as the First Tee Golf Event, the Children’s Safety Center – which empowers children to overcome abuse; the Yvonne Richardson Center Bike Giveaway – which gave away 100 bikes over two days; the Miracles and Magic Radiothon for NWA Children’s Hospital – which helped kids and their families access to the best pediatric care.
Jaylin Williams, Auburn
Throughout his four-year career at Auburn, Jaylin Williams has been active in team-and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)-led community service projects. Last summer, he and his teammates volunteered at Our House, a local mission outreach program that assists children and families who live in Auburn Public Housing. Williams also spent time at Oak Park Retirement Home visiting and playing bingo with residents as part of Tigers Give Back Community Service Day. Through the Jason Dufner Foundation, he helped stuff backpacks to aid in the organization’s mission to end child hunger in Lee County, Alabama. Every week, volunteers pack over 1,400 bags of food for children in the county. In addition to his involvement in the surrounding community, Williams had the unique opportunity to serve the campus community as an intern with Auburn Wheelchair Basketball, a wheelchair basketball team developed through a collaboration between the Auburn University Office of Accessibility and School of Kinesiology, which is his major. Every week during the fall semester, Williams would coach and motivate wheelchair student-athletes, who named the “J-Will Drill,” after him.
Trey Bonham, Florida
Bonham joined in with several teammates to volunteer at a carnival event at a local elementary school, helping run a basketball station among other activities. Bonham has also participated in UF’s Black Student-Athlete Council. Bonham was a 2020-21 Southern Conference All-Freshman honoree while playing at VMI. He has three 20-point games for the Gators this season, his first at Florida.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Georgia
Jabri Abdur‐Rahim is a leader for Georgia Basketball’s involvement in the Athens/Clarke County Community. He serves as a team representative on UGA’s Student‐Athlete Advisory Committee and has represented the Bulldogs on the SEC’s Men’s Basketball Leadership Council. Abdur‐Rahim has led the Bulldogs’ connection with the Athens Boys & Girls Club, where former Bulldog Derrick Floyd, a co‐captain of Georgia’s 1983 Final Four team, serves as Director of Operations. That has included coordinating multiple trips to multiple Boys and Girls Club locations in the summer to the provide basketball instruction and the “Shopping with a Bulldog” initiative for deserving youth from the organization surrounding the Christmas holidays. Abdur‐Rahim’s involvement in the community also includes assisting with “Dawgs To The Polls” student-athlete election information and food collections for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
CJ Fredrick, Kentucky
CJ Fredrick has been involved in numerous projects since arriving in Lexington as a transfer from the University of Iowa. Fredrick was instrumental in the development of the telethon and open practice that raised more than $3 million in funding for those affected by devastating flooding in eastern Kentucky this summer. Furthermore, he was a participant in the telethon in 2021 that raised money for victims of tornados that hit the western part of the state. In addition to those major projects, Fredrick has worked with God’s Pantry in packing food and delivering lunches to local schools, visited Kentucky Children’s hospitals and Fayette County schools alongside his teammates. Fredrick has twice served meals at Thanksgiving at the Salvation Army and participated with the team in serving dinner and singing Christmas carols for families. Fredrick and the Wildcats have twice worked with Samaritan’s Feet which entails washing the feet of our youth and then distributing new shoes. He has also visited a Fort Knox school and St. Elizabeth Healthcare in northern Kentucky.
KJ Williams, LSU
Has participated in service events at both Murray State and LSU. One of his main projects at Murray State was his involvement in Special Olympics and visiting with the athletes at events. Has always been willing to stop and visit with and talk with young basketball fans after games or out in public. Was part of a team project on Martin Luther King Jr., day to assist with the cleanup of debris and planting at a local Baton Rouge park.
Jaemyn Brakefield, Ole Miss
Jaemyn has a long list of community service projects he’s done with the team, and on his own time. With the Ole Miss men’s basketball team, he partnered with Ashley Homestore’s Hope to Dream event in providing 50 bed sets to children in Tunica County, Quitman County, and Lafayette County in Mississippi. With the “Kermit’s Kids” program, Jaemyn visited local school classrooms and did reading sessions for classes who have participated in Coach Kermit Davis’ call to literacy. He’s also taken part in Reading with the Rebels, visiting local elementary schools where he read and engaged with the children there. He helped cheer on the participants and provide water for racers at the CASA Superhero Run, and participated in the CASA Adopt-a-Child program, which helps North Mississippi kids in providing foster children with gifts during the holiday season. Jaemyn has also worked with Feed the Sip, assisting with the collection of over 7,000 non-perishable food items to give to children in Tunica County and Quitman County.
Isaac Stansbury, Mississippi State
Stansbury’s community service projects include participating in a book drive where he collected children’s books that were donated to the library at Sudduth Elementary School. He wrote letters of encouragement to a student at The Partnership Middle School where he also went to greet students and played basketball/other activities with the students during PE Class. Stansbury has assisted in the setup and execution of State’s Black History Month Tabling.
Ben Sternberg, Missouri
Ben Sternberg led the community-service effort for the Tigers. Most recently, he led numerous motivational speaking engagements, both locally and via zoom, with underprivileged kids and children with special needs. He has also worked with a food shelter in his hometown of Cleveland to help make meals for homeless families for each of the last five years, while collecting sports equipment and donating it to local Cleveland public schools. He has worked annual events to collect for a food bank, women’s shelter, and animal shelter and also participated in and helped raise money for a walk for cancer research. Working with local children, Sternberg has visited schools and led reading programs in addition to volunteering his time for summer sports and basketball camps.
Hayden Brown, South Carolina
Leads the team with 10 community service hours during the 2022-23 academic honor. Brown made regular visits during the week to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital during the fall to serve as a mentor for patients. He participated in the Real Men Read campaign at local elementary schools to stress the importance of reading at a young age. He also took part in World Read Aloud Day at Riverbank Elementary. A graduate of The Citadel, Brown is also heavily involved with Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo and took part in a Q&A focus group. Over the summer, he attended Black Mountain in North Carolina for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes retreat. He also was involved with The Ra’Shaud Graham Day of Caring in Lake City, which was a day of service in honor of his late friend.
Josiah-Jordan James, Tennessee
Since arriving on campus in 2019, James has been active in several different service projects in the Knoxville community, serving at the Emerald Youth Foundation of Knoxville, Beardsley Community Farm, and at events with UT’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This past summer, James participated in a week-long service trip to Rwanda with UT’s VOLeaders Academy—a cultural exchange trip that marked the culmination of a year-long leadership curriculum. During each of the last two seasons, James has partnered with Tennessee Donor Services to promote organ donor registration throughout the state—one of the many ways he has ingratiated himself within the Knoxville community, which has also included making frequent public appearances at speaking engagements.
Henry Coleman III, Texas A&M
Henry Coleman III is deeply in a variety of off-the-court endeavors. The junior from Richmond, Va., represents Texas A&M as the vice-chair of the SEC Basketball Leadership Council. The council serves as a conduit of communication from student-athletes to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience and wellness and to provide feedback on proposed rules governing the SEC and NCAA. Coleman III serves in a leadership role as communication director for a recently-launched student-athlete-led initiative – F.A.C.E. Mental Health. The mission of F.A.C.E. (Fostering Athletes’ Continued Excellence) Mental Health is to generate awareness, develop a sense of community, provide education, and advocate for the variety of mental health concerns and challenges student-athletes experience.
Liam Robbins, Vanderbilt
Liam Robbins has been active in the community throughout his time in Nashville. He volunteered with Next Steps – a higher education program designed to create an inclusive experience for students with special needs. Through Next Steps, Robbins spent time playing basketball with members of the program. Through Habitat for Humanity, Robbins spent time with his teammates helping at the Nashville location – moving items at the warehouse. He has also been active in spending time with children at Jones Paideia Elementary School in Nashville. He’s helped serve breakfast to students and read to a class at the school.