MIAMI -- Wayne Ellington is standing in a room filled with hundreds of high school students, all of them silent and hanging on every word that the new Miami Heat guard is saying.Hes not there to tell basketball stories.Hes there to talk about his father -- a victim of gun violence not even two years ago.Ellington plays his first preseason game with the Heat on Tuesday night, an exhibition matchup in Washington against the Wizards that will soon be forgotten. But hes already trying to make a much more lasting impact in Miami by sharing the story of the pain that continues to linger after his father was shot dead when an argument went very wrong.Still grieving and its still fresh, Ellington said. But I just realized Ive got to do as much as I can to make a difference. Every day, its happening to a different family, to somebodys son, to somebodys father. So this stage Im on, this platform Im on, I want to make use of it as much as I can for as long as Im on it to raise as much awareness as I can.Seeing athletes try to use their platform with hopes of sparking social change is commonplace right now, starting with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem in a protest designed to bring new light on racial injustice -- and countless other high school, college and pro athletes following suit since.Ellington and some members of the Heat want to go farther, beyond symbolic acts that occur during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.Its important for us to bring awareness to the situation, Heat forward Justise Winslow said. But even more important is what we do with that awareness. We have to go out in the community, we have to figure things out ... the right way to raise awareness. We all might not agree on everything, but we have to figure out something.All around the Heat locker room, there are players that can relate to what many in the U.S. are dealing with right now.Winslow is from Houston, where the city dealt with a mass shooting just last week. Hassan Whiteside is from just outside of Charlotte, where the recent shooting death of a black man by a police officer sparked two nights of violent protests and added to the nations fury over a rash of such incidents. Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson have mothers who have spent their adult lives serving in the military. Ellingtons father was killed by a gunshot.It affects all of us, Whiteside said.Ellingtons father was shot twice in the head on Nov. 9, 2014, found behind the wheel of his car in Philadelphia. A man pleaded guilty to a third-degree murder charge earlier this year for the shooting, and is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years.Ellington started what he calls the Peace Games earlier this year, an event designed to bring at-risk youth and young adults together to talk about gun violence prevention and other causes.I knew I had to do something to make a change, Ellington said.The protests and pleas by several athletes -- Kaepernick included -- have largely centered around the relationship between police and citizens. For Ellington, it goes far deeper.And his new teammates already seem genuinely moved by his story.We all have to live together -- Spanish people, black people, white people, all colors, all races, Miami forward Derrick Williams said. For us to survive, we have to stay together.Ellington doesnt speak for long when hes talking to schoolkids; in two recent appearances, his remarks lasted just a few minutes at each stop.He didnt need to say much more.His message is simple: Theres almost always a better way than violence.You dont have to take that direction, Ellington says, as dozens of kids stare right at him, many of them nodding. Theres so many other opportunities out there for you. Theres so many other different ways to solve a problem, to solve a conflict. We need to come together as people. We need to love each other. We need to find ways to help each other. Thats what Im here to do. Cheap Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. 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A hamstring injury to Johnathan Thurston has soured another emphatic home victory for North Queensland after their 36-0 NRL thumping of Canterbury in Townsville.Thurston starred as the Cowboys opened up a 20-0 lead over the Bulldogs after 45 minutes on Thursday night before the superstar playmaker was forced to leave the field. He didnt return.Clive Churchill medallist Thurston was confident the injury wouldnt leave him sidelined for long. However early indications were he could miss around two weeks.Its not too bad - it is just more of a precaution, Thurston told the Nine Network.I felt a twinge when I put in a grubber kick and, when I went to run, I couldnt accelerate.I should be right (for next week). It is just cotton wool.North Queensland didnt let up after Thurstons injury, piling on three more tries in his absence to embarrass the Bulldogs at 1300 Smiles Stadium in the opening game of round 20.Antonio Winterstein scored three tries for the home side, while Julian ONeill scored two, with Jason Taumalolo laying a tremendous platform up front.That was our most-complete performance of the year, Cowboys coach Paul Green said.Defence is the hardest part of the game to get right and I was pleased with that tonight.On Thurstons injury, Green said: It wasnt one of those gunshot ones.We have a long turnaround. He was upbeat. A win always helps. Hopefully, he will be alright.The loss throws doubt on the Bulldogs premiership claims, after they came into the match on the back of four straight wins. The visitors weree outclassed across the park in a match they will want to quickly forget.ddddddddddddDogs coach Des Hasler was scathing of his side.We were dreadful, he said.It was disappointing, no doubt about it. There were just too many unforced errors.It was poor execution from us and we paid the price. We will take the opportunity to learn some lessons from it.The win consolidates premiers North Queenslands spot in the top four, while Canterbury could slip below that if results go against them during the remainder of round 20.The Cowboys opened with two tries in the first eight minutes through Winterstein to set up an early 12-0 lead and never looked back.Javid Bowens four-pointer in the 24th minute gave North Queensland a 16-0 halftime lead and, when Justin ONeill scored in the 45th minute, the match was all but over.Ethan Lowe, ONeill and Winterstein only added to the Bulldogs woes, all crossing for tries as Thurston sat sidelined with ice strapped to his leg.Canterbury completed at just 63 per cent, making a number of uncharacteristic errors in the North Queensland humidity.It just wasnt there for us tonight, Bulldogs playmaker Josh Reynolds said.The Bulldogs are the third side North Queensland have kept scoreless in Townsville this year, alongside the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra.The Cowboys have outscored opposition teams 303 to 108 in their unbeaten nine home matches in 2016. 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