Welcome to Team Sage

We have been remiss. Sure, there are quite a number of competitive club basketball teams up in and around Sacramento but underclassmen laden Team Sage (Scholar Athletes Globally Emerging) deserves specific coverage despite the 2012 spring and summer playing season being in the rear view mirror.

Wornel Simpson founded the program which will be entering year four come spring. His background: "a University of California-Davis graduate, he has recently been named one of California’s leading forward thinkers and visionaries by California Forward. He has coached and played in professional, developmental, adult and AAU competitions and is certified by the National High School Federation having completed the Fundamentals of Coaching and the California State Component."

So why is there a Team Sage?

Simpson explained, "Because children are our future. Team Sage is committed to improving the lives of California's children. We encourage our student-athletes to be creative, explore original ideas and have a willingness and confidence to try things out and make mistakes and try again. All of this can be accomplished through lessons learned on the basketball court supplemented by Team Sage's educational initiatives."

Here's the program's mission statement: "to create an educational experience embodying the principles of sound mind and sound body, by incorporating academic and social accountability with organized sports." 

The backers utilize a wholistic approach towards the youth members, focusing on academic achievement (maintaining a 3.3 grade point average is a must or mandatory, free-of-charge, tutoring becomes part of the training equation) and social accountability.

"Team Sage's vision," Simpson offered, "is to build the capacity of prepared, accountable student-athletes who will graduate from four-year, accredited universities, and go on to be pillars in the community, as well as role models who will reach back and lift others up through their efforts. If this happens, mission accomplished." 

Off the court, Team Sage members are provided with support that has nothing to do with basketball but everything to do with providing knowledge and therefore opportunity: "peer counseling, peer mentoring, and peer tutoring sessions, along with free Educational Workshops focusing on a variety of topics such as obesity prevention and reduction; health nutrition; relationships; HIV/AIDS awareness; athletes and the law; arts and culture; etiquette and pragmatism. Learning about nutrition at our educational seminars also help. The kids are cognizant of what and when they put in their bodies."

From Simpson, here are the goals underpinning Team Sage: "We want to see our players win on the basketball court and in life. I believe an at-risk child becomes an at-risk adult. Team SAGE strives to incorporate the very definition of the term ‘sage’ into the daily lives of our scholar-athletes. We want to see them become wise, astute, educated, and insightful and practice good judgment. That’s what we strive for both on and off the court.”

So how did this all begin?

"Team Sage began focused on three eighth-grade teams," Simpson said. "In addition to a 100% high school graduation rate, we also set as a goal for all of our kids to be UC-eligible upon graduation from high school. In order to be UC eligible, you pretty much have to start off high school in the 9th grade taking the right courses. That's why we have so many (approximately 43) playing high school basketball right now. That first year, those three teams spent a lot of time preparing academically for their freshman year in high school. Our next 8th grade class the following year after the initial three teams were the Nor Cal Pharoahs-Sage coached by Don Roberson. We didn't have an eighth grade team this past year, however we have a fifth grade team and by the time the older teams have graduated and are out of the way, we'll have another crop ready for their high school years."

Simpson is also willing to go against the grain if it benefits the kids. As he explained, "I brought in skill development trainer Kelvin (KP) Potts to work with my team for 10 consecutive Tuesdays for two hours each session. We also did 4-6 sessions with him year before last. Team Sage also works out at Kidd's Sports Gym in Oak Park with trainer Charles Kidd. There, the kids get strength training, weight lifting, agility and jumping drills, Saturday morning boot camps, going to Paradise Beach and running in sand and uphill. So, basically, our kids are preparing themselves for the rigors of collegiate basketball prematurely. I have also brought in coaches like Lester Diaz from the Renegades and Don Roberson from the Pharoahs to work on certain things with my kids. It makes it difficult when we rarely have to play their teams, but it's in the best interest of the kids to give them outside instruction as well as coaching from our three coaches on Team Sage-Truth."

Here are the members of the top Team Sage squad from this spring/summer (class standing is for the coming season). Descriptions provided by Coach Simpson:

* Mo Britten - 6-foot-3, wing, junior, Del Campo HS

"Mo is versatile, has long arms and can effectively play four positions"

* Jalen Davis - 6-foot-3, wing, River City HS

" Jalen is long, lean and has become extremely aggressive defensively."

* Forrest Johnson - 5-foot-9, guard, junior, Bradshaw Christian HS

"Forrest is dependable and digs in defensively."

* Cameron Graham - 6-foot-4, wing, junior, Sacramento High

"Cameron is a streaky 3-point shooter who presents challenges defensively out top."

* Benson Osayande - 6-foot-7, post, junior, Franklin HS

"Benson is our presence in the middle and on the wing. Great athleticism and motor."

* Jamaryion Simmons - 6-foot-4 1/2, wing, junior, Independent Study

"Jamaryion is big, athletic and very skillful, our enforcer."

* Kellen Simpson - 6-foot-1, point, junior, Sacramento High

"Kellen and Terence are the best defensive guard tandem in Nor Cal. Kellen is totally unselfish and the consummate point guard, needs to shoot more."

* Brandon Thompson - 6-foot-4, wing, junior, Christian Brothers HS

"Brandon is long, athletic and very quick. He rebounds, shoots mid-range and 3's effectively and is a force defensively out front."

* Terrence White - 6-foot-1, guard, junior, Inderkum HS

"Terrence is super athletic and is capable of taking games over offensively."