UTSA’s Steve Henson coaches barefoot for a good cause

SAN ANTONIO – UTSA men’s basketball head coach Steve Henson hit the court Saturday without shoes and socks. He did it to support Samaritan’s Feet, a charity that draws awareness to the worldwide issue of 300 million children without shoes.

“Some of the NCAA coaches reached out and we got invited to participate,” Henson said before his team faced UAB. “We’re honored to do it. It seems like a very simple thing for us to do. Gives us a platform to talk about a pretty important cause.”

Samaritan’s Feet has been active with college basketball coaches since 2008, and Henson is happy to bare his feet to help a great cause.

“It will feel a little bit weird, but it reminds us all of how fortunate we all are, and how many people are not so fortunate,” Henson said. “They’ve given out 7 million pairs of shoes since this group was founded in 2003. There’s 1.5 billion people that are infected with diseases transmitted through contaminated soil, so something as simple as a pair of shoes can have a major impact.”

Including all levels of basketball, more than 3,000 coaches have joined the Samaritan’s Feet platform by coaching without shoes.

“For me to walk over there and take my shoes off for a couple of hours is really not a big deal, “Henson said.

Since it’s founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed more than 7 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and 395 United States cities.

For more information, please visit the official website of Samaritan’s feet, at samaritansfeet.org.


About the Authors:

Larry Ramirez joined the KSAT 12 sports team in October 2004.