He had never picked up a basketball before moving into his first family hideaway at age 14. But once he started playing, he developed an instant love for the game – and its coaches.
“They helped me wash my clothes so I had something clean to wear,” he says. “They understood and helped me feel like I wasn’t alone.”
After his school day at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California was over, he played hoop for hours, then often asked a friend to drop him off at a convenience store near the shelter, a trick he learned to avoid letting anyone know where he lives.
“It was tough being homeless, but I held my head up high,” he said. “Basketball became my outlet, and I decided to keep moving forward.”
His hard work paid off: Not only was he accepted to Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville, but he also just got a spot on the school’s basketball team, selected by one of its longtime heroes.
In a stroke of luck Armstead almost couldn’t figure out, the Bulldogs’ head coach is Kenny Anderson, a former point guard and NBA star who played for multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers. Anderson was the subject of the documentary “Mr. Chibbs,” about the legendary player’s struggle amid a turbulent life and financial troubles. Anderson’s famous quote from the movie is “Basketball is easy, life is hard”.
“He’s a hero of mine – it’s like a dream,” Armstead said of the coach. “When he put me in the team, I could hardly believe it.”
Anderson said he had an idea of what Armstead had been through because he also had a hard time growing up in Queens.
“We were kicked out of our house and I lived with my cousin for my first year [of high school]said Anderson, 51. “I knew how it could be, the way Jeremiah happened. You need to be motivated and you may need an extra push.
“Jeremiah is a great young man – he’s very uplifting,” Anderson said. “Hopefully I can help him develop as an athlete. If he continues to stay grounded and humble, he’ll be fine.
Armstead said he was delighted to unpack in a college dorm a few weeks ago, saying it was a welcome contrast to the shelters he’s lived in for the past few years.
“It’s a great feeling – I can finally stretch,” Armstead said, adding that he’s studying kinesiology and is looking forward to his first game with the Fisk Bulldogs this fall.
Starting college wasn’t easy, Armstead said, but he was determined to build a better life for himself.
He grew up in Philadelphia and became homeless after his family moved to Georgia when he was 14, he said, noting that he and his two younger siblings sometimes slept in the car. their mother after she and the children fled an abusive relationship. Armstead and her family asked The Washington Post not to publish any additional details about the abusive relationship, but they gave permission to include their names, photos and other facts about their lives.
Armstead said the domestic violence shelters they have stayed in have been helpful but difficult places to live.
“It was really hard living in a small space with four people, and I didn’t want my friends to know I lived there,” he said. “I had to tell myself to keep breathing, to keep being diligent. Bad times don’t last forever. Things can change.”
His mother, Mindy Brooks, grew up in Southern California and she decided to bring Jeremiah and his siblings from Georgia during his sophomore year of high school, she said.
“Jeremiah took on a lot at a young age after being the victim of domestic violence,” Brooks, 41, said. “I wanted him to have a chance to live a happy life.”
“He always took care of his little brother and his little sister, and he always tried to see the positive side,” she added. “I was extremely proud of him all his life.”
Brooks found accommodation in a shelter in Santa Monica and then drove her children 30 miles round trip to school in Long Beach, she said.
After Armstead made the high school basketball team as a power forward, he said his mom and siblings waited for him in the parking lot during afternoon practice. when he couldn’t get a friend to drive him.
“My mom was always there for me, even if it meant waiting for hours,” he said. “She knew playing sports helped me get away from what we were all up against.”
Brooks also knew her son had a dream of continuing his education at a historically black college or university and also wanted to continue playing basketball, she said.
She told the shelter administrators and counselors about her son’s goals, and they helped her identify colleges that suited her needs and put her in touch with several nonprofits to see what type. of financial assistance he may be entitled to, she said.
“Fisk University was one of the possibilities, so I submitted an application in July,” Armstead said.
Less than a week after applying to Fisk, he was at a friend’s house when he learned he had been accepted.
“My mom called and told me she got an email from Fisk and I already had a student number,” he said. “And I was even going to have my own room in the dorm.” It was unreal.
He said he was the first person in his family to apply to college.
“I wanted to show my brother and sister that they could go to college too,” he said. “I love that they’re both talking about it now.”
Fisk has offered her a partial scholarship, and most of her other expenses, including food and housing, this year will be covered by donations from nonprofits, including We Educate Brilliant Minds, Sisters of Watts and the Do Good Daniels Family Foundation, Armstead said. He said he would earn pocket money by working part-time on campus.
Nonprofits told her they would support her education as long as they could afford it, Brooks said. They continue to fundraise.
Armstead said he calls his mother and siblings several times a week at the shelter where they live to let them know how classes are going.
“I tell my brother and sister to dream big, keep working hard, and never stop pushing,” Armstead said. “Life will get better – you’re just not going to get it all at once.”
“I’m grateful that people wanted to try my luck,” he added. “Even though I went through a tough time, it made me the person I am today. I can’t wait to see how it all ends.”
