Then the 13-year-old from the Young Men’s Leadership Academy received a “gift” that he certainly didn’t see coming. And it came from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“I’ll make you an offer. If you get the attendance up to 96 percent,” Cuban told Cohen, “I’ll come back to your school and hang out with you guys for two hours and take the whole school (of 950 students) to a Mavs game.”
That brought a loud roar from the crowd assembled at Balch Spring Middle School, since it was a kind gesture that neither Cohen or anyone else expected.