Personal Statement

As a boy that has played a lot of sports competitively, basketball has been a large part of my life for years. When I reached 6th grade and started playing club basketball in addition to school ball, my passion for the game took off.  While I still enjoyed the other sports, I found that I couldn’t get enough of basketball.  As I got better and better my enjoyment of the game and the competition grew. The farther I went, the more I wanted to accomplish. I have goals to start on the Varsity team and to progress in my AAU career, but my longer term goal and dream is to play basketball at the collegiate level and possibly achieve scholarship status. 

 Basketball does so much for me. It allows me to be productive in all aspects of my life by providing structure, discipline, and balance of mind and body.  While I am a good student, the days I cannot balance my school work with basketball workouts are not as productive and my mind is not as clear.  Through the game of basketball I have learned the value of team work, to lend and receive support from teammates. I am naturally a leader on the court by my enthusiasm, work ethic, and support of the team as a whole with little concern for personal glory.  For this I have been rewarded the team Captain role. I have learned to be humble and to respect coaches’ plans for me and the team beyond what I personally think might be best. 

So why would a school or a coach want to recruit me for their school to play basketball?  My personal characteristics and athletic ability combine to form a unique person. I seek to find the good in others and to bring positivity to any situation. I welcome everyone’s success, not mine at the expense of others. I don’t quit after failure. I know that the only way to make change is through hard work and to trust those that are trying to help me. I know that results don’t come quickly or easily, only through long hours of hard work. For me though, I love the game so much, the hard work doesn’t seem so hard. I was awarded the middle school award for Toughness in Football based on the challenges that I always sought. I understand that the only thing that I can control is my attitude and the effort I put out.  I can’t control what people think of my play. That is not in my power. My only power is to continue to get better and better and not make the same mistakes over and over. My parents and my coaches all instill in me that academic achievement has to come first, and basketball really is there to help me achieve balance in my life, not the other way around.  I continue to challenge myself with an honors course load and have high goals for academic achievement also.

As far as my basketball skills go, my strengths include a high basketball IQ, excellent court vision and passing skills making me a great facilitator of the offense.  Defensively my quickness, hustle, and physical play separates me from others.  For this I was recognized during the 2014 YBOA Nationals and was awarded the Mr. Hustle award and helped our team win the Division 2 YBOA National Title. I am an excellent outside shooter as well.  I feel my skills and stature are well suited for the 1 or 2 guard position.

My Varsity coach at Lake Highland recently paid me a compliment that I feel very good about. He saw that I was asked to do things for the school team to fit into their system that didn’t match what I was used to with my AAU team system or that fit my game.  Without hesitation, I did what the coach asked of me even when it was frustrating some times.  I am always a team player willing to follow my coaches direction.

I am a very goal oriented person.  As I set my goal towards playing basketball at the collegiate level, it pushes me to work just a little bit harder in all aspects of my life.  A spot on a college roster would give me a chance to improve not only as a player on the court but as a leader in life and in the classroom.  As a Captain on the team, people look towards me as a leader so the way I live my life and the way I interact with people makes a big difference. I also represent not just myself , but also my school.  I have a great deal of respect for my school as well as school spirit.   Without basketball in my life, I would not be the leader I am today.  No matter what, I know I will succeed and I know that whatever Coach chooses to take me on, will never regret it.

This essay has been difficult for me to write since I am not one to call attention to myself, but it is a humble description of what I have to offer.