Boys' basketball: LaRon Armstead inspires hope

Five years ago, I went to the grandparents' house of All-City basketball player LaRon Armstead from Los Angeles Fremont and met with him early in the morning before school. He had just accepted a scholarship to Loyola Marymount, overcoming so much. He told me how his life had changed.

Most importantly, over the next four years, he worked hard in school and on the court. He started last season as a senior at LMU and earned his degree.

In December, he was the keynote speaker at the Salvation Army fundraising luncheon, where he told his story of how a three-on-three basketball tournament in junior high and intervention by two community organizers helped put him on a path to success.

Here's the link to a profile of where Armstead came from and where he wants to go.

-- Eric Sondheimer