Shaq and LSU athletes join forces to build playground

Shaquille O'Neal offered his assistance in transforming an "inadequate" playground into one for all kids in the Baton Rouge area. Steve Franz/LSU

By Jay St. Pierre

Students at Polk Elementary in Baton Rouge, La., received a "big" surprise from "The Big Aristotle" on Sept. 5 as Shaquille O'Neal stopped by to help restore the school's playground.

The LSU alumnus and Miami Heat center joined forces with 84 Lumber and a host of LSU student-athletes to help reconstruct the playground that O'Neal referred to as "inadequate."

"There's a church I go to right around the corner, and one day me and the pastor passed by, and I asked why the park wasn't up to par," O'Neal said. "So we came and had a conversation with the school. We asked if we could fix the playground with some new toys so the kids could come out here and play and help keep them out of trouble."

"Trouble" is exactly how Polk Elementary fifth-grade student Dexter Simpson, 11, explained the students' basketball games in the past.

"The old goals didn't have nets, and it was hard to shoot," Simpson said. "With the nets, now you don't have to fuss or argue if you made it in the goal or not."

Backed by O'Neal's $20,000 donation, the playground was re-equipped with brand new goals, nets and a coat of fresh paint.

LSU sophomore catcher Sean Ochinko, junior outfielder Chris McGhee and senior soccer player Sara Pollock were just a few of student-athletes that pitched in to clean.

"Baton Rouge has done so much for LSU baseball that you've got to give back to the community," Ochinko said. "The little kids in Baton Rouge and the rest of Louisiana are the players that are eventually going to be LSU baseball players so you have to give back as much as you can."

Shaq entered the Polk auditorium around 9:30 a.m. where he was greeted with the screams from 240 children and dozens of faculty and parents that were on hand.

Although his visit with the students was relatively brief, O'Neal managed to get his message across, telling the young kids to listen to their parents and to continue to strive for their goals.

He entertained the packed room by giving a kiss to one of the teachers in the front row and by bringing up a pre-kindergarten student and getting him to say, "Ya'll remember this face, I'm going to be in the papers [Thursday]."

O'Neal wrapped up his visit with the children by signing a few basketballs, which will be given to the one student in every grade who accumulates the highest overall GPA at the end of the school year.

He then walked outside to kick off construction with a few digs into the gravel.

O'Neal alluded to the fact that he realizes the challenges children faced when trying to choose the right path and said this newly remodeled playground is just one way he can help.

"If they're playing, having fun and feeling good about themselves around here, it keeps them away from all the negative things going on in society today," he said.