\’They couldn\’t believe he was actually a real person\’

‘They couldn’t believe he was actually a real person’
The sixth-graders at Hollywood Elementary School in College Park are taking the Maryland School Assessment tests this week, and it’s safe to say most of them were not looking forward to the experience. In search of a way to motivate her students, Ali Pascucci called one of her old college friends on Monday and asked him if he could drop by at some point during the week to say a few words.
Pascucci was on the competitive cheerleading team at Maryland — where she gradutated in May 2009 — and that her old friend was Greivis Vasquez.
The plan was for Vasquez to come Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m., but when he showed up the kids still were taking their tests. The people at the front office told him he couldn’t enter, so he called Pascucci and told her he would come back at 1 p.m.
When Vasquez returned, the kids were outside at recess, so he and Pascucci chatted in her classroom. Vasquez mentioned that he might not be able to stay for too long because the ACC player of the year was supposed to be announced soon and depending on the result, he might have to field a flurry of phone calls.
That comment reminded Pascucci of a text message her father had sent her shortly before Vasquez had arrived at the school.
I donâ??t know if Greivis already came to your school, but make sure you congratulate him. He just got ACC player of the year.
“I was like, ‘Greivis, I think actually they already announced it. I think you got it. Congratulations,” Pascucci said. “He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, really?’ He got kind of choked up. He couldnâ??t believe it. He had his phone off so it didnâ??t ring while the kids were in here. I was really appreciative that he stayed even though he had just found that out and probably wanted to call everyone he knew.”
Vasquez stayed and chatted with the kids in Pascucci’s class for about a half an hour. Pascucci said he has a lot of Hispanic children in her class and that “they loved the fact that he had an accent, too.”
He told an enraptured class to study hard and to go to college and to get a degree. Vasquez told them that if he goes to the NBA and an injury ends his career after two years, he’ll need his degree because basketball won’t be an option for him anymore.
The kids were in awe, according to Pascucci. She said they couldn’t believe Vasquez was so tall and that he could fit through the doorway. They all asked for autographs and then took a class picture with him.
They wanted to know which NBA team Vasquez would sign with. He couldn’t provide them a specific answer on that one.
“I couldnâ??t believe how good he was with the kids and how much of an impact he really had,” Pascucci said. “They all seemed so motivated. Because a lot of the kids in my class â?? all the boys especially â?? are big into sports. And to hear him say that, you know, he was telling them: â??I still go to class. You think Iâ??m some big athlete, but I still have to go to class. I still do homework.â?? They were in awe that he actually had to go to class and he actually had to do homework. They couldnâ??t believe that he was actually a real person aside from being an athlete.”
BySteve Yanda|March 10, 2010; 12:57 PM ETPrevious: Let the ACC tournament begin …
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Great story. Greivis is a good dude.
Posted by: Barno1 | March 10, 2010 1:15 PM| Report abuse
but did he give them a shimmy shake???
Posted by: deadskin | March 10, 2010 1:19 PM| Report abuse
I’ll definitely be happy to see Vasquez graduate. Don’t get me wrong – I’m sad to see him leave, but it’s good to see that college is still a part of college basketball for some people.
Posted by: acebojangles | March 10, 2010 1:36 PM| Report abuse
Just like 2007. The terps had a great season, won 25 games, won double digit games in the ACC, beat Duke twice and knocked off top 5 UNC. And yet, Petecard considers that an awful season because we fell one basket shy of the sweet 16.
Posted by: Barno1 | March 10, 2010 11:30 AM
I love it, “fell one basket shy of the sweet 16.” So in the glorious 2007 Terps season they DIDN’T EVEN GET TO THE SWEET 16.
Yet, somehow that’s still peaches and candy to barno because we beat duke and unc in the regular season.
But no worries becuase we made it to the round of 32 and were just ONE basket from the sweet-16, just one.
Of course I remember some posters on here, last season, trying to trump up the fact that MD beat 2 of the final 4 teams, like that was some sort of feat, especially considering those teams were playing in the final 4 and UMD was at home playing videogames and going to Kinesology 204 with the rest of the student body.
Posted by: Poopy_McPoop | March 10, 2010 1:59 PM| Report abuse
And yes, you’re right petecard, what really matters is how the Terps do in the big dance, although I do think they will (and should) make the ACC Tourney Championship game on Sunday.
Sounds like you spent your time more wisely than others yesterday, too, pete. I hit the links on Sunday morning before golf and it was a fun day. Yesterday, unfortunately I was holed up with a cold (let’s hope I don’t go the way of Corey Haim) so I subjected myself to some masochism.
Also, I love how Mr. Copy/Paste responds to people who “praise” him for his copy/paste antics yet somehow misses and/or doesn’t respond to the posters yesterday who thought he needed to get a life with is daily-dose of copy/pastes.
Of course I think Vegas just put up the odds of Copy/Paste hijacking a thread today with his typical, internet troll copying and pasting.
Posted by: Poopy_McPoop | March 10, 2010 2:05 PM| Report abuse
This is a very cool story about GV, we have really seen this young man grow up before our eyes. It probably helps get GV to a elementary school when the teacher is easy on the eyes too.
Poopy, save your faux-outrage for another day. Too much good is happening in real Terp land to have beef in fake Terp land.
Posted by: jpfterps | March 10, 2010 2:29 PM| Report abuse
Can we talk about there being a school in college park named Hollywood Elementary?
Posted by: Barno1 | March 10, 2010 2:39 PM| Report abuse
Too much good is happening in real Terp land to have beef in fake Terp land.
Posted by: jpfterps | March 10, 2010 2:29 PM
Maybe you should’ve given this message to Barno yesterday before he went and hijacked a thread with his copy/paste antics.
Posted by: Poopy_McPoop | March 10, 2010 2:44 PM| Report abuse
This should help GVs draft status in the Israeli league draft after his season ends next weekend.
Posted by: pstew652 | March 10, 2010 2:58 PM| Report abuse
Poop I posted something similar to Barno yesterday.
Pstew, you are a diabolical hater. Excuse me while I go put some water in your mom’s dish.
Posted by: jpfterps | March 10, 2010 3:18 PM| Report abuse
Why does GV have the face of a prepubescent 14 year old girl? Bet the Israeli chicks will love that.

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