Today marks the beginning of Kwanzaa, the annual seven-day celebration of African culture, but the girls basketball team at Digital Harbor adopted one of the principles of Kwanzaa as a theme for its season a month ago.

Ujima, the Swahili word meaning collective work and responsibility, is something coach Patrick McDonald tries to instill in his players every day.

”We can use sports as a great vehicle and a great behavior modification tool,” he said. “How do we get them through sports to understand the greater importance of being a part of something bigger than them? We all understand that as teenagers, it’s really about me, me, me, me, me, so the whole concept of ujima is collective responsibility, getting them to understand that, from a team perspective and from a community perspective, they have the power to make change.”

McDonald is always one for championing life lessons through sports and he said the Rams are responding. Not only are they 3-1 and ranked No. 8 this winter after reaching the state Class 1A semifinals last season, but they are playing well as a team.

They realize the team is more important than any one of them. That was obvious last season when I talked with their star Asia Logan, one of the best players in the area. All she wanted to talk about was her team.

“We try to give them different things that they can sink their teeth into,” McDonald said, “and hopefully when the game of basketball stops … and when the lights are out in the gym, you can walk away with something that will improve your overall life.”

--Katherine Dunn