WATCH: Ole Miss basketball's Jaemyn Brakefield gives back to local Oxford school
The season has not gone according to anyone’s plan when it comes to the Ole Miss men’s basketball team, but it has not stopped one player from giving back.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield has started spending time at Della Davidson Elementary in Oxford after a run in with a student. Brakefield met a kid while shopping in Walmart and quickly realized the student needed a mentor in his life.
The realization led to the Ole Miss basketball player surprising the student for lunch, which then turned into him being asked to come back during recess. That has since turned into a weekly visit to the school by Brakefield.
“An hour later they had me doing everything. Soccer, baseball, basketball, football,” Brakefield said last month. “It’s really, just to see the joy on their faces, it’s natural for me because it’s something I love to do. I love being around kids and seeing the joy on their faces.”
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Brakefield is doing this on his own time. This is not an organized community service event by the entire Ole Miss basketball team. Since coming to Ole Miss via Duke in the transfer portal, the Jackson, Miss. native has taken a big step in maturity and growth on and off the court.
Oxford has become a special place for Brakefield and is just wanting to give back to the city that has embraced him over the past couple years.
“He’s mentoring a kid there, on his own, I don’t even know he’s there,” said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis last month. “Then my wife sees the lady who works at Della Davidison, my daughter works there, too, and says they want to do a Jaemyn Brakefield day at their school. That’s how much they like him. Has nothing to do, we have a lot of great community service. That’s just Jaemyn being Jaemyn. When nobody’s watching. He didn’t want anything out of it. That’s who he is.”
Watch the latest episode of The Season, featuring Brakefield’s visit to Della Davidson. Video courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Production.
