Washington, D.C.  –  Georgetown University junior men’s basketball player Jessie Sapp ( New York , N.Y./National Christian Academy [ Md. ]) does not show many nerves when he’s on the basketball floor. 

For the most part, he’s calm, cool and collected.  Take, for example, this past weekend, when he hit a three-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to lift the Hoyas to a 58-57 come-from-behind win at West Virginia .  Or, the previous Monday, when he hit key shots during a late run and helped the Blue and Gray beat Syracuse , 64-62, in overtime.

On Monday night at the Intercultural Center Auditorium, however, Sapp performed on a different type of stage.  As part of Georgetown ’s week-long celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. –  “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy…Shaping Public Policy Today” – Sapp introduced Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) to the crowd of nearly 150 University students, faculty and staff, as well as the greater Washington , D.C. community.

“I was so nervous,” Sapp admitted. “Not so much when I met him or when I walked in, but when I got up on the stage to introduce him and looked out at everyone, that made me a little nervous.”

Congressman Charles B. Rangel is serving his 19th term as the representative from New York ’s 15th Congressional District in New York City .  He is the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and, in that capacity, is a leader in shaping tax and trade policies, as well as those impacting Social Security, Medicare and various social services.  He is also Chairman of the Board of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Dean of the New York State Congressional Delegation.  Rangel is also a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

And Rangel, like Sapp, is a native of Harlem , something that the Hoyas guard was quick to point out to the crowd in attendance.  He had been asked in the week prior to Rangel’s appearance – which came on the night of the State of the Union address – to introduce him to the crowd.

And like his passes on the basketball court, Sapp delivered his introduction of Rangel flawlessly.  For Sapp, however, the opportunity to just meet and introduce Rangel was something he will always remember.

“It’s cool to see someone from the neighborhood,” Sapp said.  “Where I come from, there are not many people who reach the level that he has.  He’s a big-time Congressman in the House of Representatives and it doesn’t get much bigger.  It just gives you a different idea on what people from Harlem can become.”

As he prepared for his short speech, Sapp was able to see pictures on the walls of the Georgetown Basketball Office of former Hoyas like Patrick Ewing with former United States President Ronald Reagan and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, or Dikembe Mutombo in a photo with Nelson Mandela and a shot of Courtland Freeman with former Secretary of State Colin Powell.  While looking at those photos, Sapp realized that his picture could soon be joining those.

“I’ve seen all those old photos, of Ewing and Mutombo and others and I look at those and think of what a great opportunity it must have been for them,” Sapp said.  “For me to now be part of that is pretty special.”

Rangel, who spoke to the group in the ICC for approximately 30 minutes before leaving for the State of the Union Address, also had a chance to chat with Sapp prior to his appearance.  “He just told me to keep doing what I’m doing,”  Sapp said.  “He said that people back home were proud of me.  That meant a whole lot to me.  I know my family and friends have watched what I’ve done, but to hear that from someone who is so important in this country and in the world, that really meant a lot.”