School Choice for Student-Athletes is Critical

Months after consecutive knee injuries had ended my pro career, I found myself in law school. I was missing the game of basketball and was constantly depressed and demoralized by being away from the game I love.

It was during this time that a mom saw me working out in the gym and asked if I would work with her son, Adam.

Although I had never trained anyone I jumped at the opportunity, after all, I had nothing else to do.

Adam was a freshman at a local high school and was a super solid basketball player.

Adam had a great handle, sweet shot and smooth change of pace. I could tell he would one day make an impact at the Varsity level.

As Adam completed his 9th grade year, he already had his sights set on making his JV team the following year.

He knew the competition would be stiff because the team would be made up of the best sophomore’s and juniors not on Varsity.

Adam new his freshman class had a lot of good players as well as the sophomore class, but still, he believed if he put in the work, things would take care of themselves.

Adam locked in like never before with our training sessions, often talking me into working with him between my law school classes, since his school was nearby.

After a strong summer and fall I could tell Adam was ready to go. He was sharper than ever, plus he had grown to nearly 6’1 over the summer. I was excited about his opportunity.

Yet, what happened next I will never forget. Adam did not make the JV team that year. Instead, he was cut during tryouts. The team was stacked full of talented sophomores and juniors, plus the coach did not care for his style of play.

Over the next few months, I saw less and less of Adam.

During our workouts he would be lackadasical and uninterested. He was also losing weight and muscle mass at a rapid pace.

Not soon thereafter, Adam quit training all together.

Around a year later I saw Adam’s mom at the gym and asked her how he was doing. She told me he was not doing well and had been in a drug rehab program for the last couple months.

Whether Adam was doing drugs during our time working together I do not know.

What I can tell you is that Adam was completely engaged and thriving when he had purpose and a major goal pushing him to be his very best.

Adam’s downfall was primarily due to his environment.

You may believe Adam’s case is extreme, but we should begin to see wasting any athlete’s time, talent and treasure as extreme.

My personal experience is just as extreme as Adam’s, only in a positive way, because my parents had the guts to make the right choice for me, prioritizing athletics over all else.

Although I made my 8th grade team and was a starter, I rarely played because we had a roster of over 15 players that all received playing time.

When I looked ahead to the high school team I could see that only Juniors and Seniors received Varsity playing time and playing time was not determined by parent politics rather than player’s talents.

This lack of alignment with my environment prompted my parents to transfer me to a new school the following year.

A little more than a year later I was averaging 20 ppg and thriving in my element. I ended my career scoring over 1,800 points, becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer and having my jersey retired (Not to mention graduating with a 4.5 gpa which ranked 3rd in my high school class).

I am sure had I stayed in my previous school I likely would not have played all four years of high school or been a role player at best.

My parent’s decision taught me a key principle I now teach to parents.

Serious student athletes must choose a school that is as committed to their team’s program and player’s personal progress just as much as their athlete is.

Serious student athletes must choose a school that is as committed to their team’s program and personal progress just as much as the student is.

This means the school must care about your child’s sport as much as you do and care about your child’s development as much as you do.

School resources (ie - funds/facilities), procedures (ie - gym access) and hiring practices should reflect their commitment.

When these don’t line up, parents are faced with a very serious decision to make.

It was the same decision Adam’s parents were faced with. It was also the same decision my parents were faced with.

This is why I have developed a School Choice for Student Athletes Guidebook and digital course; to help families everywhere identify the best options when selecting or even switching schools.

Always know that environment is essential and engagement is everything.

When we get the environment right, the engagement is sure to follow.