AURORA | George Karl doesn’t remember exactly where he was when he first heard about the July 20 shooting at the Century Aurora 16 theater.
The Denver Nuggets coach knew he and his team were in the right place Wednesday evening, spending time at Gateway High School helping the healing process of a still-grieving community.
The Nuggets delighted a crowd of more than 1,000 Gateway students, faculty and staff for two hours, doling out t-shirts, autographs and smiles in great abundance to an appreciative and boisterous group.
“I don’t remember exactly where I was when I heard, but I was shocked; I think everybody is trying to figure out how to get some closure and then to move forward,” Karl said. “Any time something like that happens in a community, it takes everybody helping each other.
“We try to be very much a community-oriented organization, but this event is really unique. …Hopefully we can lead this community back to a place where they can feel positive again.”
The positive feel began immediately, as the gym buzzed with the team’s arrival and shootaround, and Nuggets public address announcer Kyle Speller pumped up the crowd with energy as he does during the season at the Pepsi Center. Gateway students lined the courts for player introductions and mascot Rocky and the Nuggets dance team took every chance to throw t-shirts into the stands.
There was some business on the court, as the scrimmage gave everybody a look at the high-flying Nuggets, who come into the new season brimming with optimism.
Karl left the coaching to his assistant and it produced a game that treated the Gateway crowd to wide-open play as well as spurts of defense.
Electric JaVale McGee and Kenneth “Manimal” Faried pounded home a number of alley-oop dunks in the first half, point guard Ty Lawson was consistently explosive and newly-acquired star Andre Iguodala had a strong showing in the second half.
The White Team finished on top 90-72, but there wasn’t much scoreboard watching on this night.
“Ihe high school court was a lot easier to run on, it’s not as big as what we’re used to,” Faried said afterward. “We just came out here to have fun, enjoy ourselves and put on a good show.
“It was exciting, the kids had fun and there was big camaraderie around each other.”
For Hedges, it was much more than he ever could have asked for and helped add to a list of positives for the school in the months that followed the tragedy, which involved a large number of current or former students.
The Nuggets’ visit also served as another shot of energy for the Gateway student body before the Olys meet rival Rangeview in football on Friday with the Anvil traveling trophy on the line.
“This was another great example of the positive community support we’ve gotten for our families and our students and our staff; this was exciting stuff,” Hedges said. “We are off to a really positive start this school year and I think we’ve grown together as a family the last couple of months. …This was a pretty special night.”
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
