Former Bulldog visits Lemoore to boost fundraiser for 'Exposure Sports' girls' program

By Ed Martin, Editor
Demetrius Porter, "Exposure Sports" founder, samples the cuisine with Shatari Sykes (left) and Vineyard Restaurant Manager Joe Jones (right).
Demetrius Porter, "Exposure Sports" founder, samples the cuisine with Shatari Sykes (left) and Vineyard Restaurant Manager Joe Jones (right).

From 1997 to 2001, Fresno State’s Demetrius Porter was a standout guard for the Bulldogs’ basketball team, and under the tutelage of the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, the talented Fresno native led the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1998 NIT Final Four.

A native of the Valley, Porter, is a Division 4 State Champion, Player of the Year and is sixth on the all-time scoring list in the Valley with 2,099 points. He is also a member of the school’s Bulldog Hall of Fame.

Somewhere in between three-point baskets, he managed to earn a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Porter can’t avoid the question: What was it like to play for Jerry Tarkanian, a Hall of Fame coach.

“He was a player’s coach,” remembered Porter. He knew how to bring players together and get the best out of them.”

Former Bulldog visits Lemoore to boost fundraiser for 'Exposure Sports' girls' program

The 39-year-old Porter has played professional basketball around the world, served as a college assistant coach. And for the past three years has helped San Joaquin Valley girls, grade school to high school, develop their basketball skills, with the hope that it could help them obtain an education.

He and his program coordinator, Shatari Sykes, run the non-profit sports program “Exposure Sports,” which recruits girls – in many cases at-risk young people –  to play basketball and attend tournaments around the country where college scouts can see them.

It’s not to say that every young lady will earn a scholarship or a shot at a college education, but over the last three years, this program has received about $2 million in scholarships for a bevy of talented players.

Lemoore has girls in the program and a local team, “Lady Heat.” Lemoore’s Brynn Calvert said there are currently two girls in the program, one of them her daughter, an 11-year-old who plays for the Lady Heat.

“I love the program,” said Calvert. “It’s more of a family atmosphere.”

Calvert is stepping up to assist in a major fundraiser for “Exposure Sports.” That’s why Porter was in Lemoore on Thursday to meet with Calvert and sample the fare of the expected caterer: The Vineyard Restaurant.

The fundraiser is scheduled for Fresno State’s Smittcamp Alumni House on Nov. 11 in Fresno from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $60 per person and proceeds go to “Exposure Sports” to help pay for travel and program costs. Smittcamp House is located at 2625 E. Matoian Way in Fresno.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting exposuresportselite.com or calling 702-772-2269.

For Porter, who works for BSN, a supplier of sports apparel and equipment, “Exposure Sports” is a labor of love, insisting the Valley is underserved when it comes to female scholarships. “I returned to Fresno and wanted to help girls in the Valley get scholarships,” he said. “There is so much talent here but not a lot of exposure.”

He said that participation in sports, can be a gateway to a college education, and he wants to help. He currently has about 70 kids in the program. “This is the best experience in my life.”

Many of the young ladies simply haven’t seen much of the world. “Some of these kids have never been on an airplane,” said Porter. “There’s more to the world than what’s in their life now.”

 

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