When Lamont Butler made the game-winning shot last spring, the vibrancy from the NRG Stadium in Houston was felt and shared all across San Diego. The city lit with sparks of solidarity for the love of sports, community and connection, as history was made.

A part of that connection comes from the bridge that MESA Foundation has built between its athletes and the San Diego community.  

The idea for MESA Foundation first began in April of last year. In October of the same year, the foundation became official. It is San Diego State’s first and only non-profit NIL Collective, currently focusing on the men’s and women’s basketball team. Its purpose is to work with organizations in San Diego while educating athletes on the importance of giving back to their community. 

Funded solely by donors, MESA Foundation is a self-started non-profit association that is unaffiliated with SDSU. The organization favors supporting community charities and establishments over the NIL commercial enterprises. 

Over the summer, MESA partnered with Inter Tribal Sports and Camp Pendleton’s MCCS 2023 Youth Sports basketball camp to run the Assist 2023 skills clinic. These clinics were the second and third for the association. The first was held in February at the Polster Branch Boys and Girls Club.

Inter Tribal Sports and MCCS’ camp were specifically chosen to connect with two of San Diego’s most prominent groups: the Native American and military communities. 

“What we have found with the players (is) as much as they like having support for their program and a predictable NIL platform, what they really like is the version we’re doing — the one focused on deepening the connection with the community and really having the chance of making a difference,” Jeff Smith, co-founder of MESA, said. 

Isaiah Thompson, the executive director of Inter Tribal Sports, discussed the importance of involvement with MESA’s athletes and the Inter-Tribal community.  

“It means everything to everyone here,” Thompson said. “You know, we are always underrepresented in a lot of fields, and we’re overlooked in a lot of areas. It just feels nice to finally get some recognition and give our kids that opportunity to get that access to what it looks like to be a Division 1 student-athlete.”

Of those in attendance at the clinic was 14-year-old Roman Martinez, son of Cody Martinez, who is the tribal chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation are also co-owners of the new Major League Soccer team coming to San Diego. 

Roman got to interact with Lamont Butler during some of the drills. 

“I feel very blessed to be here. It is very cool to meet (Butler) in person. I get to ask him questions and get to know him,” Roman Martinez said.

Having the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership skills on and off the court holds sentimental value for Butler. 

“Being with kids that are from here, is just great to be able to see them and impact their lives the way they have impacted San Diego,” Butler said.

Chris Harris, one of the parents at the MCCS camp, discussed the value of the one-on-one interactions between the players and kids. 

“A lot of kids don’t get the opportunity to meet big big-time athletes,” Harris said. “With SDSU making the Final Four, for the kids to see the players in person inspires them. 

“(Kids) are like ‘Wow, look at him, he was on TV taking the last-second shot. If I can meet him, maybe I can be just like him, too.’”

DJ Gay — a former Aztecs player and MESA co-founder — conducted the camps alongside Matt Evans who has coached with Gay for the past five years. Bill O’Rear, a volunteer youth basketball coach recommended by Matt Soria, Aztecs assistant athletics director and director of Basketball Operations, was also a coach at the clinic. 

“San Diego State recruits (are) not only the best players in the country but also the best character people. You saw today at the clinic — they are out there working with the young kids,” O’Rear said. “The university and the basketball programs for both the men’s and women’s team should be really proud of them and what they do at these camps.” 

These youth basketball clinics are just part of the many events held by MESA. The foundation plans to host more gatherings in the upcoming months. 

According to MESA, they connect the athlete with their community through a variety of different activities geared to bridge the gap between them. MESA also empowers its athletes to use their social media platforms to inspire change through support and education in underserved communities.

Furthermore, MESA provides a modest and predictable compensation to its athletes in exchange for their time spent giving back to the community and raising awareness for important social causes. By partnering with MESA, the athletes can connect with people on a more personal level. This, however, would not be possible without the contributions of the San Diego community. 

Former player Matt Bradley volunteered at the Inter Tribal camp and spoke about his appreciation for MESA providing opportunities for communication with those who help sponsor.

“As a college athlete, MESA has definitely helped me connect with donors and people that support SDSU basketball,” Bradley said. “Without them, I would never have been able to have those close interactions. It means a lot. They have done so much, (it’s) not just about how the money helps, but really about bridging the gap between relationships with all the people we meet.”

Mentoring and empowering is exactly what MESA Foundation does. With all the success that they have had in their first year, it shows the value of their program. 

Upcoming events include an on-campus blood drive with the San Diego Blood Bank in September, a walk for ALS in Mission Bay in October and an event with San Diego Food Bank in December.