Ghassan Ezzeddine Father

Paris, France

In physics, the terms used to summarize St. Joe Huntigton Prep are: magnetic field, gravitational force, energy. In math it's simply put down as positive educational denominators and student welfare multiplication. In Biology the school and club are easily assimilated to the city's hemoglobin and heart. In literature: "Down by the rainbow of promises and expectations, the legend alight and bright. Colorful people from many nations, together upbrought Huntington Prep's Basketball might." My son Karim and I followed the rainbow and unmistakably the treasure lied there. Amazing all the happiness one gets when physically acknowledging the finding of incredible treasures all in one place and chaperoned by amazing folks, tutors and foster parents heartedly and rightfully guarding each valuable player representing that treasure. From France with all our love, respect and appreciation.

Alesha Jones

RN, BSN

Being a host parent has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have always been a Huntington Prep fan, so when Arkell asked me about hosting, I was more then happy for the opportunity. Once he told me about Maurice and when he was coming, total panic set in. I don't think I have ever been so nervous and unsure about a situation, but when that very tall young man walked into my house and bent down to hug me, all fear and anxiety went away. Although he was only here for a short time, I could go on and on about our experiences. While the majority of them have been great, some have been not so great. For example, my son who has been an only child for 15 years had to learn to share..lol and I had to find some very creative things to do with chicken. After laying down a few ground rules, Maurice just seem to fit right in with us. All in all, it has brought true joy to my family having Maurice in our home and we look forward to more years of hosting.

Williams Otor Gabriel - Lagos, Nigeria

University Central Missouri

I'm Williams Otor Gabriel from Nigeria. I came a long way from home and I have been in the United States for 6 years now. My first three years with Huntington Prep was a great opportunity in my life and, without a host parent, I wouldn't have been able to survive. My host Mom was a single mom with the biggest heart. I have never meet anybody who is as nice as this woman. She made sure all my needs were taken care of. She took me in as her son. My host brother and sisters also welcomed me to be part of their family. This has been my family ever since. They have shown a lot of love and treat me like one of the family. Playing with Huntington Prep created a lot of opportunities for me to play in college today. It changed my life as a person, making me a better person, because kids see me as their role model as a player and I need to live up to those expectations. Huntington Prep is family. They make people better and help them chase their dreams to be a professional player or a great person in life.

David Mulumba - Belguim

I had the chance to stay with Tom and Cindy Bailey while I played for Huntington Prep. It was hard being away from my family and friends but they welcomed me to their family and made it feel like I was their own. They showed me around and made me adapt to the American way of life. They would be at every game and motivate you to do good on the court and off the court too. They would check on my schoolwork and made sure I never slipped. Your host family is supposed to make sure that you have a home away from home & the Baileys did an amazing job making me feel like I was at home for that entire season. (David on Prep) Playing for Huntington Prep was just an amazing experience. Coming from a small country Belgium, I had never expected something that big. We traveled to places like Houston, Tampa and New Jersey and played great teams and future pro's. I learned how to compete harder. The program really helped me in getting better on the court but also how to be a good person off the court as you were looked up to by young kids all over the country. Arkell Bruce is a good skill trainer that will really help you develop your game to the next level. What I really liked about the program is how everybody at prep is really close and how we turned out to be one big family towards the end. Huntington Prep was a nice experience.

Karim Ezzeddine - Paris, France

Going from schools to schools each year of my high school career, I had to move a lot, from countries to countries (coming from France), and had to live with different host families. During the season 14-15 I joined the Huntington Prep Family, and I have found no such place that could made me feel like home than the Fox's house. I think it's important for a player/student to feel comfortable off the court, to be performing well on the court and in the classroom. This was a big advantage for us, the fact that we feel home even 37804763 miles away, compared to other top programs that lives in dorms. It's much more easy for the parents to leave their child in between good people's hands. The Foxs are a God-Gift for me, and I'm not talking in the past tense because they still help me today for whatever I need and I come visit them as often as I can, because I miss them like my second family.