CINCINNATI, Ohio — In an era of Name, Image and Likeness it’s not as often you see popular college athletes give back to their community without expecting anything in return.
But for one Xavier basketball star, it was a no-brainer when a parent of a kindergarten student at a nearby school asked him to join their son for school lunch.
What You Need To Know
- Quincy Olivari, a guard for the Xavier men's basketball team, was a kindergarten student's special guest at lunch at St. Mary's School
- George Heller is a huge Xavier fan, and Olivari is his favorite player
- Heller's mom tweeted at Olivari to ask him to join her son for lunch, and he was happy to make the time to visit with the young fan
- Olivari says it's important to him to give back and show the community he genuinely cares about them
It’s not every day you see a college basketball player in a school cafeteria, but Quincy Olivari is good on his word.
“I’m getting a little too old to be sitting in these seats," Olivari said as he sat at the kids' lunch table.
It started with a tweet from George Heller’s mom asking the Musketeer to join her son as his special guest at lunch at St. Mary’s School for Catholic Schools Week.
“I checked my schedule, it was the day before St. John’s, and I was like I should be free," Olivari said. "I tweeted back let’s do it!”
So, Olivari showed up to spend time with super fan and kindergarten student George Heller, acting like best buds and learning about each other.
“Do you have any siblings?” Heller asked his favorite basketball player.
Olivari said it’s all about showing appreciation for this community.
“I really just wanted to do this to give back," he said. "Show them my appreciation because like they said, they come to a lot of games, they support, and I just want to give back and show them that I’m thankful for the support that they show me.”
And despite the chaos, there were lots of laughs and memories made.
“To see how happy the kids were when I walked in and their faces lit up and then when I sat down, they’re all around me," Olivari said. "It’s a great feeling.”
George even made his favorite player a friendship bracelet, which he gave him at an event earlier this season, something Olivari uses to remind him of who he has looking up to him.
“That I’m appreciated, that I’m loved, that there are little kids that look up to me," he said.
While George and his buddies enjoyed spending time with a local celebrity, it was just as important for the Xavier guard to spend time with them too.
“I want people to know that this is very genuine and not just because I want the attention, I want the likes, I want the clicks," Olivari said. "I want people to know that I genuinely care about them as people and not just fans that support me at a Musketeer game.”