The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/976701
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State senior punter A.J. Cole has been serving on a missionary trip to Africa every spring break since arriving in Ra- leigh. Last year, he took running back Brady Bodine, cornerback Nicholas Lacy and line- backer Airius Moore with him. Watching afar from social media was NCSU's then- recently hired safeties coach Aaron Henry. Henry, who now coaches the nickels, told Cole then he would join him for the next trip. Henry is not married and does not have children, so his spring break is an opportu- nity to build further relationships with his team. For Henry, whose only previous time out- side the mainland United States had been a trip to Cuba, going on the missionary trip with Cole and kicker Kyle Bambard was a true learning experience. The five-day trip centered on Mountain Park Academy, a boarding school in Kenya. It did not take long for Henry to realize he was in a different world. He had to use bot- tled water to brush his teeth, wash his hands and put in his contacts. The small level of discomfort paled in comparison to the sac- rifices made by the children at the school. "On one day we fed kids donuts and milk, and you would have thought we wrote them a million-dollar check," Henry noted. "The next day we fed them a loaf of bread and a soda, and it was like that was the whole world." Henry remembered splitting a Snickers bar and giving it to a young child, who then promptly took his piece and broke it up into six pieces to share with other children. On one night, Henry got to talk with 60- 70 boys, ages 11 through 18, who lived on three-level bunk beds in a small dorm that could probably compare in size to the lobby of NC State's indoor practice facility. Others walked three to four miles a day to reach the school. "We just had a chance to have a real talk and dialogue," Henry recalled. "They don't have much, and education is key for them. That was the coolest experience." However, perhaps nobody moved Henry as much as Cole did. When Henry returned, he sat down with head coach Dave Doeren to relay some of the experiences, and he made it clear that "A.J. Cole is a special hu- man being." "I mean that from the bottom of my heart," Henry said. "Not too many people have his ability." Henry noted that school officials gave Cole an hour each day to preach to the chil- dren. "I had the honor to sit in with him and chime in. That kid is special," Henry said. "When you talk about building a program, you want guys in your program that have that kind of ability." When it was over, Henry felt compelled to do more. For about $25 a month, a donor can sponsor a child to help provide for his schooling and two meals a day. "I actually ended up sponsoring eight," Henry admitted. "I have a heart for chil- dren." The Wolfpack Had A Star-Studded Pro Day An unofficial tally of NFL teams repre- sented at NC State's pro day March 26 was 23, and odds are good that did not include every squad that was actually there. There were so many scouts that two provided bleachers were not enough to seat them all when the 40-yard dash was being run. The NFL Network was also in atten- dance, including its star draft analyst Mike Mayock. Sports Illustrated sent writer Jonathan Jones. The Indianapolis Star had a Colts beat writer there to watch Bradley Chubb. Yet one person's presence stood above the rest — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He was joined by his defensive line coach Brendan Daly, who happens to be an old teammate of NC State head coach Dave Doeren at Drake. Belichick did not try to blend in ei- ther. He closely observed all four of NC State's defensive linemen — Chubb, B.J. Hill, Justin Jones and Kentavius Street WOLFPACK FOOTBALL Punter A.J. Cole Is Inspiring Others With His Missionary Work Cole has taken a missionary trip to Africa every spring break since arriving in Raleigh. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL