Former NBA Player Visits Anne Arundel County School, Shares Mental Health Advice

FORT MEADE, MD — A former professional basketball player visited Meade Senior High School recently to share mental health advice.

Retired NBA player Jumaine Jones told more than 100 student-athletes to accept life as a learning process and seek help when needed. That was the key to overcoming his mental health struggles after retirement.

“Everything in life is a learning process,” Jones told the students on April 4. “To be successful you have to train your mind to be okay with failure so that you know how to handle it. Life is not easy; life be life-ing! But if you learn how to fail, you remove the fear and then there is nothing left to do but try and succeed.”

Jones, nicknamed the "Thrilla from Camilla," played in the NBA from 1999 to 2007. He spent time on six different teams. Jones was also on the gold-medal-winning men's USA basketball team at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Jones became depressed during his retirement and struggled to identify his life's purpose. It took him three years to seek professional help.

Since then, Jones has worked to connect with young athletes and kids through his Beyond the Hardwood Foundation for mental health.

Jones shared these tips during the Meade High event:

1. Respect that life is a learning process.
2. Train your mind for failure.
3. Accept that you are different and love yourself.
4. Be open to having conversations, especially ones that may be uncomfortable.
5. Have the courage to ask for help.

“Our youth are dealing with repressed emotions and painful issues that they may not realize are affecting their performance in school and in their sports,” Jones said. “I’m excited to be here with the students today and hope that my story will help someone realize that they are not alone, and that there are resources in their community they can turn to for support.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the suicide rate among youth ages 15 to 19 increased by 57 percent from 2009 to 2017, an event press release said.

The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County in 2022 noted an increase in teachers and parents reporting mental health issues among young children. The organization said anxiety and depression were prevalent in kids.

The Meade High mental health day was sponsored by the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, located in Glen Burnie.

“Creating access to mental health resources is incredibly important for the long-term success of our youth and the overall well-being of our community,” hospital President and CEO Kathy McCollum said in the press release. “As an anchor institution, we’re proud to work with Anne Arundel County Public Schools to introduce students to mental health education, coping strategies, and support resources that can prepare them to manage stressful situations and develop critical leadership skills that can be applied now, on the playing field, and throughout their lives.”

Anne Arundel County Public Schools Athletics has made mental health a priority this academic year.

The Baltimore Washington Medical Center partnered with Meade High to create a student-athlete mental health program. The initiative motivates student-athletes to start taking care of their mental health and to share messages of positivity and resilience.

“Our students see professional athletes and think if they can get there, they can have this perfect life. But it doesn’t always work that way,” Meade High Principal Ryan Durr said in the release. “As educators, we have a responsibility to prepare our youth for life’s challenges. We’re excited to collaborate with the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center to share Jumaine’s story of perseverance with our students and to encourage our youth to ask for help and seek out mental health and well-being resources when they need them.”

This continues the hospital's string of work with AACPS.

This school year, the medical center received a grant from the Laurel Race Course Impact Fund Advisory Committee. The money lets the hospital provide bilingual health education, screenings and workforce development opportunities to the Maryland City Elementary School community.

The medical center also co-hosts a Community Wellness Day twice a year, connecting county schools with health and employment resources. The next Community Wellness Day is April 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riviera Beach Elementary School in Pasadena.