From homelessness to Final Four history, forward Fisk is being honored for his bravery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jeremiah Armstead moved so often that he couldn’t even play highschool basketball until his senior yr.

He never lost faith during all those nights his family slept within the automotive, after they couldn’t discover a hotel room or a shelter. Especially that first night within the beach parking zone after leaving Philadelphia for California and checking out their latest home was gone.

A policeman arrived of their automotive that night, since no parking is allowed after midnight, and saw the family of 4 sleeping.

“He let us stay there,” Armstead said. “So such meetings with normally good people simply helped me not to be indignant on the world and what was happening, and just wait, which is what I did. I waited 4 or five years and now something is finally changing.

Armstead not only survived, but thrived.

On Monday, Fisk’s forward will make history as the primary player from a historically black college, university or NAIA school to receive the Perry Wallace Award from the Basketball Writers Association of America on the awards luncheon before the national championship game.

“I don’t think it’ll fully sink in until I get to the Final Four and experience everything,” Armstead said upon learning of the award, named for the Nashville native who made history as the primary black player who played Southeastern Conference basketball at Vanderbilt.

His coach, Kenny Anderson, is delighted with Armstead.

Anderson played 14 seasons within the NBA after being drafted second overall in 1991. But his family was evicted from their home in Queens, New York, when he was a highschool student. Anderson lived with his cousin, visiting his mother every morning before school until they found a brand new apartment.

“It gives me satisfaction to help someone who is in the same situation as me,” Anderson said. “So Jeremiah is doing a terrific job with his family and this example in mind. And he’s just a superb kid.

The 6-foot-5 Armstead was born in Atlanta and lived in Philadelphia until his mother moved to Long Beach, California, to live with someone close enough to be considered family. Except this woman unexpectedly moved to Texas, leaving Mindy Brooks and her three children homeless.

They spent a number of weeks in a hotel after which went to a shelter in Santa Monica. His mother drove him to school, which took 40 minutes each way, so she waited within the parking zone until classes ended to save gas and money.

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Time constraints within the shelter also forced them to move around, making even basketball a challenge for a family focused totally on survival. They finally provided him with stability during his senior yr of faculty, living in an apartment for his first and second semesters.

This gave Armstead time to improve his game.

“I could just wake up at 6, go to school, catch the bus and everything,” Armstead said. “I did not have to worry about my mom waiting outside within the automotive all day or anything like that. So the mental fatigue was going away to some extent.

Stephen Bernstein helped connect Armstead with Fisk through his Los Angeles-based We Educate Brilliant Minds foundation.

Once Armstead arrived in Nashville, he began eating higher and was busy losing not less than 30 kilos in his first two seasons.

However, a faculty official learned that Armstead was sending home whatever he could to help his family. Even that wasn’t enough, as his family kept moving from shelters to hotels and back to the automotive. Finally last November, his mother, sister and brother finally moved into their very own apartment.

Anderson worked to help Armstead develop his basketball skills. The forward played in seven games as a freshman and 12 this season, helping Fisk go 14-16.

While his family has a spot to live, Armstead’s mother has been scuffling with health issues. He also takes care of his brother Marcus, 18, who only learned to read and write on the age of 13 after being hit by a automotive as a baby, and his sister Armani, 14, will probably be a highschool freshman this fall.

“I’ve seen the worst of the worst,” Armstead said.

Basketball was his protected place. Now he’s in the most effective physical shape of his life, studying kinesiology, and almost halfway to a level he never thought possible. He turned 20 on March 26, an age he had never imagined, let alone celebrated and planned for the long run.

“It showed me why… I should keep doing what I’m doing and keep believing in God, because a few years ago I didn’t think I’d be here, and here I am,” Armstead said.