About Us
To provide athletic shoes to young athletes in Africa who cannot afford to buy their own
750
Pairs of Shoes Collected
150+
Young Athletes Served
10
Fundraiser Events
Why Us?
On-Site Events
we will run on-site events and clinics, where kids will go through a basketball training regimen, leadership seminars, and team-building activities.
Essential Materials
The goal of Smart Sport Foundation (Smart Sport) is to provide athletic shoes to young athletes in Africa who cannot afford to buy them. Our mission is to help ensure that no child has to play a sport barefoot, risking disease or injury, due to poverty.
Mentorship Pairing System
We plan on pairing each kid with a mentor. These mentors will be current or ex-athletes who are able to relate, connect and guide at a deep level.
Our Team
Ikenna Smart
Founder
Ikenna is an Assistant Video Coordinator Portland Trailblazers of the NBA. He recently worked with Alabama men’s basketball from 2020-2021. As a graduate assistant, Ikenna supported the defensive coordinator and analytic team with video work. Also, he assisted with the forward’s player development. In his tenure, Alabama won the regular season and conference tournament title and reached the sweet sixteen. Ikenna graduated with a master’s degree in Sports Hospitality Management. Ikenna played for Wake Forest in 2018-2019 as a graduate transfer and earned a master’s degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Global Studies. Ikenna began his college career at the University of Buffalo from 2014-2018. In his four years at Buffalo, the Bulls won three MAC championships. Ikenna received the Coach Leonard T. Sportsmanship award and earned Bachelor of Science degrees in International Trade and Geography. Ikenna is the president and founder of Smart Sports foundation. While growing up in Nigeria, Ikenna often played basketball barefoot and in dress shoes. This was a point of struggle for Ikenna and another reason why we are on the mission to ensure no child plays a sport barefoot because of poverty.
Kane Ma
Vice President
Kane is an entrepreneur who has his foundations in technology. He is constantly building and looking for innovation. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2018 with degrees in Computer Science and Economics, and also was a Letterman of the Men's Basketball team, playing under Coach Roy Williams. Upon graduating, he went off to play professional basketball in China/SE Asia before returning to the USA to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions.
He is currently the founder of Zero Point Digital, a digital agency, serving as the company's CTO. He also serves as the CDO of WOOOBA, a social sports platform. Kane brings technical and brand insight; he is also a web3 and blockchain enthusiast.
Kayla McGee
Secretary
Kayla works as an attorney in her hometown of Greensboro, NC. She is a double Tarheel, earning both her undergraduate ('14) and law degree ('18) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During law school she developed a love for pro bro bono work, volunteering monthly with the UNC School of Law Cancer Pro Bono Project, a project she remains involved in with today as a volunteer attorney. After meeting and developing a friendship with Ikenna, she knew she had to be a part of building and growing Smart Sport Foundation. In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband, their dog and cheering on her favorite sports teams
Our Board
Nick Purrington
Nick is an attorney in Greensboro, NC. He is a founding partner of Purrington Moody Weil, an entrepreneurial corporate law firm focused on representing sophisticated investors and investment managers in connection with fund and entity formation, investment activities and other issues they face in an increasingly complicated legal and regulatory landscape. Nick also has a commitment to education and is Board Chair for New Garden Friends School (Ikenna’s alma mater).
Evan Manning
Evan is a graduate assistant with the Gonzaga men's basketball team, and he is in his 2nd year in this role. Evan is tasked with helping the players develop their basketball skills individually and collectively. Before Gonzaga, Evan was the player development coach for Wake Forest Men’s basketball and worked with his coaching staff to prepare scouting reports, film breakdowns, and playbook. He also assisted the Director of Basketball Operations with day-to-day operations of the Wake Forest program. While at Wake, he organized community service projects for the team such as visiting the children’s hospital regulars, assisting Diaper Bank with packaging, and organizing holiday gift donations for families in need. Prior to working at Wake Forest, he graduated from the University of Kansas in 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in sport management with a business minor. Also, he was a 4-year member of the men's basketball team during his time there. Lastly, Evan has helped Smart Sport collect over 200 pairs of shoes.
Mary Tribble
Mary Tribble, ’82, MA ‘19 Mary is a Senior Advisor for Engagement Strategies at Wake Forest University. She joined Wake Forest University in 2014 as Senior Advisor for Engagement Strategies where she is responsible for creating meaningful experiences for approximately 70,000 members of the alumni family. Tribble graduated from Wake Forest in 1982 with a degree in Art History and completed her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in 2019. A fifth generation Wake Forester, Tribble wrote her thesis on the untold story of Sarah (“Sally”) Merriam Wait, wife of Wake Forest’s first president Samuel Wait. She also oversees the Wake Forest Historical Museum at the site of the original campus in Wake Forest, N.C. and is a member of the steering committee of the Slavery, Race and Memory Project, an initiative to reexamine the university’s history with regard to slavery and its legacies. Prior to her return to Wake Forest, Tribble owned an event marketing firm in Charlotte for 25 years and earned national and regional recognition including Business Woman of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year, before helping to plan the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She lives in the 1824 Reich House in Old Salem, which she recently restored.
Dr. Arnie Guin
Dr. Arnie Guin enters his third year working primarily with the Alabama men’s basketball program as the director of player development athletic culture. Guin, who has more than 30 years of experience as a pastor, counselor, mental skills coach and professor, also aids with women’s basketball and gymnastic programs, primarily assisting Crimson Tide student-athletes and staff with a number of things including team culture, mental skills and counseling. Guin (pronounced GYOO-in), who was a registered psychotherapist in the state of Colorado, first began working with head coach Nate Oats at Buffalo during an era of unprecedented success in the men’s basketball program. He continues in a full-time role in Tuscaloosa as a life skills counselor and one of the few official “mental skills coaches” in all of college basketball.
Ikenna Smart
Our Story
As a young man growing up in Nigeria, Ikenna never stopped dreaming that sports would one day change his life. He began as a soccer player, kicking anything he could without breaking his foot – including rolled-up socks, oranges or even empty plastic containers. He kept on playing soccer until his height caught the attention of someone who offered him a pair of basketball shoes and encouraged him to play basketball.
Ikenna's Story