UTSA women's basketball team members aid Habitat for Humanity

UTSA women's basketball team members Cori Cooper (left) and Jermini Malone help at a Habitat for Humanity project.

By Jordan Korphage
Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

(Sept. 22, 2010)--The UTSA women's basketball team traded working on the hardwood for working in hard hats Saturday, Sept. 11, helping Habitat for Humanity construct a house in the Palo Alto subdivision. The Roadrunners spent most of the day working on the exterior of the house, including framing, roofing and insulation.

"This is one of the most beneficial community service projects we've done," said head coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair. "We were able to help a family build a home and we had a lot of fun. It was exciting to see the players and coaches work together to hammer nails and put up sections of the house."

While using hammers, tape measures and saws demanded their concentration, the team did not lose sight of the bigger picture.

"Working with Habitat for Humanity was a great experience for us as a team," sophomore forward Cori Cooper said. "Not only were we able to give back to the community, but it helped our team unity as well. It was fun and it helped out a great cause."

The team even had a chance to meet the future owners of the home, which provided extra motivation to do a good job.

"It was good to see who we were helping out," Cooper said. "We were nervous about having to build a house for someone, but it turned out well and at the end of the day we were happy with our success."

The team will return to Palo Alto in November for a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the project.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that has built more than 350,000 homes, providing shelter for more than 1.75 million people in nearly 90 countries since its founding in 1976.