Q: What has basketball meant to you throughout your life?

A: Basketball has probably been one of the biggest things that kept like family and friends in my life because it’s truly shaped like the person I am today, because it’s always been a part of my life. Starting from about like third grade up until obviously high school, I was always playing basketball in some sort, whether it was recess, club team, school teams, just with friends, during the summer, like every summer where we were playing basketball every day, even though it was 90 degrees outside.

Q:How has playing basketball shaped your character and personal development?

A: I’d probably say basketball has shaped my character in personal development and numerous ways, because it’s really taught me how to be a team player and work with other people. Like not just being an individual, but also being dependent on everyone. I learned how to multi-task those two things with being a leader when I have to be and be a follower and I need to be and working with others, but also give me all those life skills of communication like presentation, talking in front of people, working with others and just knowing how to achieve a goal as a group and then also as an individual when you’re needed to. Making sure that I was like the best person I could be, and like just being like a genuine person.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your basketball career, and how did you overcome them?

A: Three summers ago, I was just playing outside with my friends and playing like five vs five at the park next to my house, and when I went to get a rebound, I landed on my leg. Wrong. It twisted. I sprained my ankle. I clearly knew I sprained because I’ve sprained my ankles before, so I clearly knew I sprained it. I had to, like my friends did, help me off the court. My foot was turning purple. I couldn’t feel it. Yeah, so that was a rough night.

Q: How do you stay motivated during tough times, both in sports and in life?

A: I would say just say trust in the process and just believing in yourself. Trust that it will get better even after injuries.You have to just kind of work hard to get past it and just being the best team player you can be. Not being obviously selfish or the main character. Even if you are the best player, you still have to make sure that you are not selfish and caring of your team members and the main objective of winning. Yeah, I would definitely say  like after I sprained my ankle, it was definitely like a really tough time for a while, having to be inside. I would because, well, the worst part was, was see my other friends play basketball, like going with my crutches, hobbling on the court and watching the play. So obviously that was a really tough part. But what made me have to get through. It was watching them play and waiting to get back so bad that I wanted, I didn’t obviously rush physical therapy, but I wanted to do it in a fast enough pace that could be back in the court and be having fun. So it’s just about work, like your work ethic and how like bad you really want it. And like, writing down your goals and sticking to those goals, like my goal was to get better by at least like either the end of the summer or halfway through the first semester when I came here. So I can continue playing basketball and doing the thing that like one of the things that gave me the most joy. I would say it’s truly like writing down your goals, and just being the best person you can be in that situation, like not giving up. Because obviously when I first sprained my ankle, I wanted to just like not play anymore. I was like, this is going to keep happening. But I had to really, really dig deep and find that even through physical therapy, I can heal myself and I can be the player that I used to be, or a different version of the player I used to be, which is also okay.

Q: What advice would you give to younger players just starting in basketball?

A: Just having to be okay with change, especially in sports, which is tough for a lot of people. But like I said, just trust in the process and just going through it, going through all the different steps to achieve those goals and be a part of what you want to be.