HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- Marquis Godwin is Hampton-grown. He starred for Hampton High School and, after a stint across the water at Old Dominion, returned home to wrap up his college career with the hometown Pirates.
"Everybody's supportive," he said of growing up in Hampton. "It's a small community, so everybody knows everybody, so just being from here has been a blessing. I'm very thankful to be from Hampton."
Godwin has started all 12 games for the Pirates so far this season, averaging 11.8 points and 32.6 minutes per contest. His clout on the court has given him a platform to make a positive impact.
"People that believed in me from the beginning since high school [are] a blessing," he said. "I'm just thankful to be in a position I'm in today to just do this for my community."
The senior guard is referring to his inaugural Season of Giving event, a toy and coat drive that took place at Boo Williams SportsPlex on Tuesday. Food, music and basketball were also part of the four-hour long festivities in Hampton. It's Godwin's way of doing his part to make sure as many people in his community as possible have what they need during the holiday season.
"It was awesome. I liked the environment. There's a lot of stuff to go around," one attendee said. "It's not often that you find stuff like this around this area."
"[I] wanted to do something special and more events like this, just for my community," Godwin noted. "Everybody knows I play basketball and they come support me so I just wanted to do the same and give back."
Trying to make Hampton a better place is something that runs in the family, so to speak. Godwin shared that his God-brother is Giants' quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a fellow Hampton High School alumnus. Taylor has put on numerous events to benefit the city and its citizens and the Pirate basketball standout says he isn't shy about picking the NFL player's brain about ways to effectively give back.
"I have a great role model when it comes to things like this," Godwin pointed out regarding Taylor. "He does stuff like this all the time, so just seeing him do these kind of events and me following in his footsteps is a big blessing."
So who will follow in the Hampton senior's footsteps? He knows the next generation is watching him and is hoping he can pave the way for others to build their own platforms that will help make a difference.
"I just want to tell kids that you can do whatever you put your mind to," he said. "Keep going at it. Don't let [anybody] deter you or say you can't do anything. Stay focused and be the best person you can be."
This is just the beginning of Godwin's community efforts. He says he hopes to host at least two similar events before the end of college basketball season.
