WORCESTER, Mass. — A local team hosted an event Sunday to highlight lessons learned from the game of basketball.

The head coach of Notre Dame Academy Basketball invited speakers to share their journeys with people of all ages at the "Inspire by Example" event.

Coaches, players and trainers explained the different journeys one can take through basketball. Brian Scalabrine, who coaches with Notre Dame Basketball head coach Johanna Annunziata, spoke virtually.

Speeches highlighted the importance of understanding self-worth, as well as valuing connections with others.

“There’s awesome things we can do. Let’s be inspired by each other; let’s learn, let’s grow and let’s connect," Annunziata said. "I think that connection piece is huge, because truthfully, I wouldn’t be able to do something like this if I wasn’t able to connect with other humans." 

"So showing them you might not be the best basketball player, you might not be the smartest person in the classroom, whatever that looks like, but you can connect with people," Annunziata added. "And people want to gravitate towards inspirational and true, authentic people. And showing them this stuff can happen is so big-time for me, and it’s just an awesome opportunity to share it.”

Annunziata said "Inspire by Example" is much bigger than basketball, and would like to make this an annual event — possibly adding speakers from different sports and fields to share more stories.