Members of the High Point University men's basketball team played pickup basketball with residents of the program I Am Now on Wednesday evening at the Slane Student Center. The event was part of a Leadership and Development class project at HPU.

The Leadership and Development class assignment was for groups to create a leadership initiative. Senior Brittany Carroll, who is an HPU cheerleader, was a member of the group that decided to go into the community and get HPU students involved with I Am Now, an organization based in Greensboro, N.C., that provides housing, direction and resources to young men who have outgrown foster care and are in transition to adulthood.

Carroll said the group project was to teach members of I Am Now about proper exercise and nutrition. The project was capped off by bringing members of the organization to the HPU campus for a night of pickup basketball with members of the HPU varsity squad.

"Any time we get a chance to give back to the community, it's great," said sophomore forward Corey Law. "It's really fun to get to play pickup ball with these guys. Some of them have been to our games and have seen us play, so it's really fun to get to know them and get to play with them."

Law, junior Nick Barbour, seniors Earnest Bridges and David Campbell and team manager Rodney DeLeaver all participated in the event as both players and referees.