BELGRADE — On any given Thursday night, dozens of kids can be seen at Belgrade High School for weekly basketball practices.
However, this week they were surprised with a special guest: Touchdown Tommy.
“I appreciate you guys getting in here and going above and beyond of what’s expected of you guys and trying to get better," Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott echoed to the Belgrade Basketball Academy.
"I think the one thing that I can pass on to you guys is if you want to be great in basketball you have to do everything to the best of your abilities — so whether that be school or helping your parents out with chores — like my coaches always said do everything how you do anything.”
Mellott played for Belgrade boys basketball coach Luke Powers while at Butte High.
"[The kids] see him as Touchdown Tommy, and I know him from a level of where he's just the best dang kid you could ever meet," Powers said about Mellott. "For them to see that a normal kid has accomplished everything that he's accomplished — from the national semis this year, the national championship the year before — and he did it through working hard. He just never has let up, and that's something that I think these guys can learn from him."
The Belgrade Basketball Academy is open to all kids between first and eighth grade. For information on how to join, contact Powers at coachlukepowers3@gmail.com.
