Beck Students Earn Coaches 4 Character Awards

September 23, 2013

Mark Gottfried says it’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.

Apparently Hannah Buford and Tate Johnson already believe in that contention.

“I liked when he said to always encourage your teammates and push them to do better,” Johnson said after listening to Gottfried, the men’s basketball coach at N.C. State University, deliver his message at the Coaches 4 Character program Monday night at Greenville’s Redemption World Outreach Center

Buford and Johnson, who are both 13-year-old eighth-graders at Beck Academy, received Coaches 4 Character awards from Gottfried, who lauded their teamwork, character and academic effort.

“They are in a wonderful position and at a wonderful point in their lives,” Gottfried said.

Gottfried, who has led the N.C. State Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons at the Raleigh, N.C., school, said he was going to talk to Monday night’s gathering much as he would his own team, and that he did.

“I want people on my team who care about the right things,” Gottfried said. “The same qualities I want in a player are the same qualities you should strive for every day.”

Buford and Johnson both are off to great starts, and Buford took Gottfried’s words to heart.

“His goals were inspirational,” Buford said. “He told us to strive to work harder each day.”

Buford wants to attend Clemson and become a first-grade teacher. She is on the J.L. Mann cross country team, serves on student council, volunteers at church and school and is a member of Pro team, a program that provides “buddies” for special needs students.

Johnson, who also hopes to attend Clemson, plays football for the Mann “D” team, has played youth basketball for eight years at Trinity Lutheran Church and also is a Proteam member.

By: Scott Keepfer -- Greenville Online ​

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