Coach Dwayne Johnson has always felt at home on the court.
"I wanted to be like Allen Iverson. I started shooting 500 shots a day," said Johnson.
As a kid, basketball was the healthy outlet he needed.
"Dunbar, in that area where I grew up, there's a lot of fatherless homes, but also in Cape Coral, a lot of fatherless homes and dads who work a lot and aren't engaged with their children," said Ortiz.
That's why Johnson is determined to be there for his kids, who are not just his family by blood but by basketball.
With his organization, Hoops on a Mission, Johnson and his team coach kids after school who otherwise may not have a safe place to go.
"The stories I hear. The shame, feeling powerless. 'I lost my father, my mom works five jobs, our water got cut off,'" said Johnson about some of the stories kids in the program have told him. "'Coach, can you give me a bed? I'm sleeping on the floor.' 'Coach, can you give me socks?' 'Coach, can you give me food? I didn't eat breakfast.'"
Despite that pain, Johnson wants to show these kids they still have a purpose.
"Everybody experiences trauma and pain," said Johnson. "If you're in third or fourth grade, somebody has to intervene and journey alongside you."
Teddy, 9, has suffered more losses than most do in a lifetime, but with this team and this coach, he's won.
"When I first came in the gym and met them, it felt like home with them," said Teddy. When asked if he'll learn to dunk one day, Teddy said with a smile, "Yes, ma'am."
"Teddy is a game changer. He's so grateful, so kind. He grew up in the same community I did, in Dunbar. His father died a couple of years ago," said Johnson. "But I get an opportunity to be a light in a dark place for Teddy."
Being a light in a dark place helps Johnson give these kids a better shot at life.
"That's my calling," said Johnson.
To learn more about Hoops on a Mission, go to its website
here
.
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