Tuscaloosa Leader

Curt Weeks smiled last night as he looked at the excitement on their faces.Every player on Coach Week’s County High (Northport, AL) basketball team was jumping with excitement.There they were, courtside at the FedExForum in Memphis, as Grizzlies’ stars Tyus Jones, Jaren Jackson and others took part in their pre-game shootaround.

How the young Wildcats wound up at an NBA basketball game is a story of compassion and empathy.

This is the story of School Bus E50.

It was December 14th, 2021, and fog rolled off the North River in Tuscaloosa.Coach Weeks had fallen asleep- it must have been 11:45 at night.Curt Weeks shook his head as he said, “Hello”.“I hate to wake you,” said Colton Houston, a friend of Curt's from Mountain Brook.“If anyone can come up with a way to help them, it’s you.”

Curt Weeks headed to County High School to pick up School Bus E50.The bus was Curt's best friend, as he drove his players to away games on that bus.Deep in the night, Curt headed up US 82 toward Reform.The fog was heavy and the ride was slow.

“I learned from Coach Stallings back in 1996 that we need to be kind to everyone,” Curt told me.“I was Coach Stallings’ head manager, and he always told me that being nice to people will pay off down the road. I never thought that 25 years later I would be helping a basketball team that had a broken down bus, but I just knew that I had to help.”

The December 14th, 2021 game didn’t go too well for Georgia State.Miss State hammered the Panthers 79-50-  the bus ride from Starkville to Atlanta would be a long one.Even longer when the team bus broke down 30 miles from Tuscaloosa in dark, rural Alabama.Longer still when they found out that garages and towing services had shut down for the night.

“Hi, I’m Curt Weeks, and I’m here to give y’all a ride to a Tuscaloosa hotel,” said the coach.“You can get your bus fixed in the morning, but right now y’all need some sleep.”Georgia State coach Rob Lanier and his players emptied out their team bus and loaded up the yellow bus.School Bus E50.

Handshakes were exchanged in Tuscaloosa as the early morning arrived.Curt Weeks felt a bond with the coaches and the players.“Something good is going to come of this,” Coach Weeks told Coach Lanier.“I just know it.”

It was ten weeks later, and something amazing was happening.The Georgia State Panthers caught fire and made a run through the Sunbelt Conference Tournament.Curt made a drive to Pensacola to surprise the team as the Panthers won the tournament and clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.“I told you something good was going to come of this,” shouted Curt.

It was last October 3rd, and the receptionist at County High School called out to Curt Weeks.“There’s someone from the Memphis Grizzlies who wants to see you,” the receptionist said.Word of Coach Week’s kind gesture reached the Grizzlies, and the man in the front office had a surprise.It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, but it was off to the Grizzlies-Lakers game, as Curt Weeks went as a special guest who sat courtside.

The man seemed cordial.Curt Weeks chatted with the Grizzlies fan and told him how he ended up at FedExForum.“I usually leave the game early, so if I do, be sure to use my seat,” said the man.The man said his name was Ken May.

Curt Weeks was astonished when he Googled his new friend.Was it really THAT Ken May?The former CEO of FedEx Office? The former president of Krispy Kreme?The former CEO of Topgolf International?The CEO of Drive Shack Inc?

It was just over a week ago, and Ken May called his new friend Curt Weeks.Mr. May invited the Wildcats to lunch at Rendezvous BBQ, the shootaround and the game.And hence arrived a day the County Wildcats will never forget.

“I’ve been thinking of what Coach Stallings told me,” said Curt, who is today back in Northport. "Be kind and kindness will shine back on you. My players had the time of their lives- Mr. May joined us for lunch and then we headed to The Forum. My players will never forget last night’s game- and the Griz beat the Warriors, 131-110!"

The County High Wildcats’ unforgettable adventure is now in the books.

An unforgettable adventure thanks to compassion and empathy.

Curt Weeks knew something good was going to come of that trip to Reform deep in the night.

Curt will forever be grateful for that trip.

The trip on School Bus E50.

*Pictures courtesy Curt Weeks

Original source can be found here.