If you’re looking for Wes Reber Porter, you’re just as likely to find him in the gym at Damien Memorial School as at his desk. The president and chief executive officer of the Catholic school for grades 6 through 12 in Kalihi, is a familiar sight running up and down the basketball court with students.
“I jump in games whenever I can,” he said. “I love running around the court with them.”
Porter, 43, who stands 6 feet 3 inches tall, has been playing basketball since he was a kid. He earned a scholarship to attend Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., where he was shooting guard on the basketball team.
“I’ve always made close friends playing basketball,” Porter said.
He first came to Hawaii from the East Coast in 1998 as a judge advocate general (an attorney) in the Navy at Pearl Harbor. After leaving the military, Porter worked as a federal prosecutor in Hawaii and then as a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., until 2009. He moved to San Francisco to become a law professor at Golden Gate University in 2010.
He joined Damien last June. “I’ve always had a passion for teaching,” Porter said. “And I approach teaching and coaching the same way. Kids can tell if you’re prepared and passionate about the material.”
In addition to pickup games, he regularly assists his friend and Damien basketball coach Alvin Stephenson and helps organize hoops clinics on campus.
Stephenson and Porter played in adult basketball leagues together back in 1999. “We would battle on the court against each other. It’s great having him around — and now I don’t need to chase him around,” he said.
“When he’s on the court, it actually shocks the guys,” Stephenson added. “He offers fresh ideas. Being a collegiate basketball player, he can relate to some of the things that they are going through (as) athletes. He makes the kids feel important.”
Although Porter is sharing the fundamentals of the sport with the team, Stephenson said it’s also therapy for his friend to get out of the office and play with the boys.
On the court, Porter encourages the youths to view basketball as “a fun way to learn life skills and to spend time with friends.”
Throughout his career changes, Porter’s never lost his love for the game.
“I coached youth basketball with my close friends that I met playing basketball in Hawaii when I first moved here,” he said. “I still play with those friends, Damien alumni and high school players from Damien and other schools.”
A hectic work schedule and family time with his wife, Emily, and children, Evan, 11, and Cameron, 8, doesn’t leave much time for workouts, but he’s found other ways to be active.
“As a family, we take lots of walks together. My 8-year-old is teaching me how to play volleyball. Nowadays, it’s all about what the kids do,” he said.
He hits the weight room when he has time, but most of his workouts are spent playing on the court at school or running with students.
Porter said he plans to keep playing basketball for as long as he can, barring injuries and “old-man issues.”
“Be Well” spotlights health and fitness topics and activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.
