DALLAS (SMU) - Brenda Scott was told by Project Unity organizer Richie Butler that the Big Game was the most competitive and electrified that he had seen in the seven years since its inception. 

As the big event of Together We Ball, The Big Game featured community leaders and Dallas-area police officers in addition to Scott and Director of Student-Athlete Success Rashard Fant. The two teams were strategically coached by SMU men's basketball coach Rob Lanier and women's basketball coach Toyelle Wilson. 

Additionally, both Together We Ball and The Big Game itself was emceed by 2020 Texas Radio Hall of Famer Chris Arnold, sparking additional crowd involvement as Lanier and Wilson coached their players to win. 

Butler, who is on the SMU Board of Trustees, the senior pastor at St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church, a former SMU defensive back and 2018 Silver Anniversary Mustang honoree, founded Project Unity to directly improve race relations and the Dallas community's relationship with local police through intentional programming that encourages unity, education and empowerment. 

Together We Ball is one of those intentional programs. Loaded with performances from local talent such as the Unity Choir and hosted by SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown and Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, the free event allowed for Dallas families and local clergymen, law enforcement and elected officials to bond over basketball. The Dallas Mavericks were a major supporter of the event including a halftime performance by the Dallas Mavericks' Drumline. 

While Scott had experience competing on the court at both Walsh University and Thiel College (though don't get it twisted, she hadn't run full court in about six years), Fant hadn't played in a basketball game since his time at Our Lady of Mercy High School. Despite playing cornerback at Indiana University and for the Chicago Bears with tens of thousands in attendance, he was unprepared for competing in a raucous basketball atmosphere. 

To SMU men's and women's basketball's amusement, Fant missed the game-winning free throw after he had been boasting his basketball prowess all week. 

"That's what I told my student-athletes, I said, 'Man, the light was just bright and the pressure came,'" Fant said. "The funny thing about that was Brenda (saw) me shoot free throws with my eyes closed and make them!" 

"(It) shouldn't have happened!" Scott said through laughter. "But we will take it and try to run it back next year. Same team, we won't change anything!" 

Fant also received some advice from a young and energetic fan. 

  "I remember after I missed the last one, a little kid ran up to me like, 'Oh, you got to make your free throws!'"  

While Fant claims that his preparation for the Big Game will definitely change between now and next August, Scott certainly intends on SMU hosting Together We Ball again next season.   

Soon after being hired as SMU's Director of Inclusive Excellence within the newly created Department of Student-Athlete Success last year, Scott got to work developing her "Starting Five," or her five responsibilities in her role. Her second pillar, "to coordinate," requires planning activities within athletics, SMU and the Dallas community at-large. 

Scott quickly discovered Project Unity, an organization that connects different segments of the Dallas community such as business, faith and law enforcement through intentional programming. SMU had already partnered with Project Unity for hosting Together We Dine lunches and dinners, which allows strangers to network and share stories regarding their experiences living in a society shaped by systemic racism.  

"I saw the value in this organization and wanted to get them introduced to not only student-athletes, but the rest of the campus community as a whole," Scott said. "So when we (did) (Together We Dines) for student-athletes, I incorporated SMU Student Senate, as well as the Association of Black Students (ABS). We wanted to bring them all together." 

Scott reached out to Project Unity Director and SMU alumnus Charlene Edwards to pitch hosting Together We Ball at Moody Coliseum and gave her a tour. Then, a plan was set in motion to get the ball rolling for planning the event in the fall. 

At Together We Ball, members of the SMU community helped volunteer, Lanier and Wilson coached and SMU Police's Jesse Carr played in the Big Game with Fant and Scott. Additionally, the SMU men's and women's basketball teams collaborated with religious leaders and law enforcement to lead a training camp for Dallas-area youth. 

During the camp, the student-athletes and community leaders worked with the kids on some of the basics--distance dribbling, ladder drills, footwork and simple crossovers--while also making time for personal conversations and fun activities. The experience was complete with breakfast and a Q&A with the student-athletes. 

Overseeing the training camp, Fant saw himself in the kids participating. Like many of them, Fant was born in the city and grew up in minority communities, but also loved sports. He feels that because football and basketball were team sports, he could put any problems he faced aside and compete with his friends. 

"I think it was nice for our student athletes to be able to give them that same message and story," Fant said. "I think the beautiful thing is, the (student-athletes) may not ever understand what they did for those kids that day, and how much it meant just them doing something they love and being able to share their experience." 

Ultimately, that was the purpose of bringing Together We Ball to SMU for Scott and Fant. While winning the Big Game would have been nice (though Fant expects them to win and for Scott to claim game MVP next year), the tandem wants to establish SMU as "The Dallas university" through intentional interaction with the surrounding community.  

"My goal is for SMU to be more transformational than transactional," Scott said. "We want the community to say 'SMU supports us. We see them a lot. Our kids can aspire to go there and we see ourselves there.' That's what we want to do. We want to be more inclusive of the Dallas community as a whole."