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 Shoes Black Friday . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. 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Daniel Ricciardo says an engine issue was the reason he was unable to qualify ahead of Red Bull teammate and closer to the Ferrari drivers in Japan.?Ricciardo had to settle for sixth at Suzuka, 0.06s behind his teammate in a session which saw Ferrari and Red Bull split by just three tenths of a second. Ricciardo says a lack of power in his engine, which he first noticed during his win in Malaysia last week, was costing him speed in a straight line.Personally I was down [on power] on the straights, he explained. I was losing straight line speed. It is not the first time, but there were signs of it last week. It had a bigger effect this week.It was just a bit frustrating. I felt I did all I could with the car in quali, but it looked like we lost a good little chunk, as least down the straights. I dont think it was enough to say wed be ahead of Kimi, but it would have put us a lot closer to Seb.When asked if it was a team issue or just for him, he replied: Individual. Not intentional of course, but comparing my car to Maxs, even in qualifying you see the overlays, and I saw it this morning and was askingg why I am still losing time on the straights? So that just stayed throughout qualifying.ddddddddddddormally you dont see a deg in the engines, they sort of hold pretty well for the life they are supposed to do ... But it has sort of been there a few times this year. It is what it is.Ricciardo revealed it is not the first time this year he has felt disadvantaged by a TAG-Heuer (Renault) engine at the latter stages of its life span.There have been times were I seem to be down as well on straights. We dont always get an answer.It is sometimes just luck of the draw, even like fuel flow meters, you get good ones, you get bad ones. It has been a while since I have actually had more speed, but I just want the same, that is all. We all want the same for both of us, but it is just a bit frustrating. When quali is that close...Ricciardo will climb one place to fifth for the grand prix once Sebastian Vettel serves the three-place grid penalty he incurred at the Malaysian Grand Prix. ' ' '