Redshirt sophomore forward Charlie Brown Jr., graduate transfer guard Troy Holston and sophomore forward Taylor Funk coordinated their shoes to match what’s important to them: family members, classmates and social issues.
Brown and Holston wrote “7/28”, “RIP Jackie” and “60 years” on their shoes, it was in remembrance of Brown’s grandmother, who died at the age of 60.
“That was how old my grandma was when she died,” Brown said. “I write on my shoes, everything I do is for her.”
Holston also had “RIP PA” written on his shoes, commemorating his grandfather, who died last year.
“I put him on my shoes so I always keep him with me,” Holston said.
Before the game, Brown posted a separate picture of his shoes on twitter and Instagram. “Stop gun violence” was transcribed at the bottom of them. He wore those same shoes against Monmouth University on Nov. 12.
“We don’t see what’s going on in the world,” Brown said. “I just try my best to promote positivity and draw attention to what’s currently going on.”
Redshirt junior guard Lamarr Kimble said it’s important to talk about issues going on in the world, especially in a locker room setting.
“We don’t just stick to basketball [on this team], we’re also people at the end of the day,” Kimble said. “If there’s any way we can put a spotlight on issues in today’s world, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Kimble said he’s searching for an important issue that he connects with to showcase on his own shoes.
“Of course everything that is going on in the world right now is important,” Kimble said. “There are just some things that are more emotionally important to me than others. I want to go figure out what I really want the people to see and take focus to.”
Funk had students from his floor in Rashford Hall write their initials on his shoes. He wanted to shake the image of Division I basketball players thinking that they’re better than everyone else on campus.
“I just had whoever wanted to write their initials on put them on,” Funk said. “It was a fun thing to do with the people on my floor.”
Holston said that that he and Brown plan to continue wearing shoes with handwritten messages throughout the rest of the season.
“Me and Charlie for the most part write on our shoes, even on the new shoes I got,” Holston said. “It’s just a thing that we do. A piece of us is on our shoes from our past or our family or something that is very close to us.”
