MORGANTOWN, W.Va.--For West Virginia University's Elijah Macon the last couple of years have been anything but easy. First, there were the academic issues and injuries that sideline the former four-star recruit. Then he took the biggest hit of all, Macon's mother, Renai Payne, passed away. It was an event that turned his life upside down. For two seasons, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward mourned and was never quite able to live up to his potential. Last year he averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. As a freshman, he averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. "It did (affect my play), just her not being here, just the presence," Macon said. "Nobody wants to lose their mom at a young age. So I was out of it mentally. Just this summer I stayed …show more content…
"I thought I would come in honestly and be a big part of it which I was," he said. "I just played my role. But now I get to actually put it on, everything I can do this year. I feel like the last couple of years that I've been kind of on hold, losing my mom and everything. I feel like I am done over the grieving period of all that and I can just move on with my life. I've just been focused on basketball all summer, trying to get better. …show more content…
"I think he's tried to rebound a little bit more," WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. "I think he understands that we lost a lot from a rebounding standpoint. So I think he's focused a little bit more on that." The biggest difference in Macon is he is 12 pounds lighter and in better shape than last season. The Columbus, Ohio native worked hard to get there. "I went home for a little bit, probably a week or something," Macon said. "Then I came back and I've just been in the gym. Honestly, I’ve been working on my shot, a lot of scoring down low if anything, getting stronger with Andy, still losing weight." He worked on conditioning and changed his diet. No more fatty foods. Macon is excited for the advantages being in shape can play in the success he hopes to have this season. "It gives me a big advantage," he said. "Some big guys in the Big 12 won't be able to run as much as I can run the floor. Me and Brandon actually, Sags, they are starting to get there. I know bigs like Texas and guys who have actual real bigs, we can run the floor so that will be our
In continuing her career, she made the Varsity team her Freshmen year and continued to play all four years. As a freshman she averaged 15 points per game and was named Freshmen of the year. As a sophomore, she averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds. As a Junior, Latoya averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. She also led the team and the nation in scoring.
He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He was and still is the biggest shortstop in major league history. He is the only shortstop ever to hit 20 or more home runs in 10 straight seasons.
17 year-old Rashim Lancit was the standard senior at LaSalle High School. His best friends were Andrew and Colin. They played together for their high school basketball team. However, Rashim loved the game of basketball more than his friends and dreamed to go to the NBA. He thought there was no way that he would make it there. However, that all changed one Friday night at the LaSalle basketball game.
“When I got the job, I looked at the program as a bus,” said Hoyt. “I am jumping onto the bus. The program and school already exist, and there is a recent history of not having a successful basketball program. How do I change that for the better and make it my own? The first thing is get rid of all the people that you don 't want on the bus, and that is what I did. Then I looked at it as a scorched earth theory, where you burn everything that preexist to the ground. We got new jerseys, new players, and everything else is dead. We brought in new freshman, and those freshman were going to be foundation of what 's going to come down the road.”
The death of a parent changes people in a profound way. In the movie Fly Away Home, Amy Alden, a thirteen years old girl loses her mother in a tragic accident that changes her and her whole life greatly. After her mother’s death, she moved from her home to her father’s home in Ontario, Canada. She is very depressed, she sleeps a lot and she doesn’t want to go to school. She also did not connect to her father because she thinks her father is strange. She felt alone and isolated from the world and she does a lot of things for herself that a mother should do to her child. She is now very independent and she lost her innocence now that her mother died. Her life begins to brighten up again when she finds the geese eggs in the wilderness near to
“Gonzaga. Brunswick. What? Whitman. What? Montclair. Ridley. Who’s Ridley? La Salle. STA. Episcopal. Prep. Us. 10th. We got 10th.”
“This is his fourth year in college basketball, he is absolutely a leader on this team. He understands how things go,” Egwu said. “We look forward to have him teach us new things. He is a huge part of the team.”
Russell Westbrook sprouted from all of the skills he acquired from high school and college. Russell entered high school at the height of 5’8” and 140 pounds. He did not start for
Throughout his childhood and teenage years Terry has shown strong determination to achieve his goals. As a child Terry had always wanted to play basketball for his school. Unfortunately, he was not very good at this sport. He practiced until in eighth grade when he made the basketball team. His coach advised him to take up a different sport such as running or soccer due to his short height. Although
Thanksgiving break a bust,I thought.The fall air swept through as my sister and I kept playing volleyball.My mom came bursting out,she was trying to catch her breath as I questioned,
“The odds of a high school basketball player making it to the “next level” to play college basketball (DI, II, or III) is slim. In fact, only 3.4% of high school players go on to play college basketball. Taking it even further, only 1.2% of college basketball players go on to get drafted in the NBA” (Winters, 2016). There are two types of players in the game. There are the kids who play basketball because they are athletic, and all they are seeking to gain is the recognition and awards. They want to be known. Those players are self-centered, they do not play for the team, and generally don’t play because they love the game. These are the types of players who don’t usually go on to play at the next level. On the other hand, there are the players that absolutely dedicate their life to the game of basketball just because they love the game. That is what coaches are looking for in a player, and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.
“Well, I’m more sad than anything,” she replied. “I’m going to miss all of the freshman that we taught how to play.”
When you look at a basketball what do you see? Most would see an orange, sphere, shaped rubber ball. There are black lines and real leather. If you look closer, you would even see the size of the ball in which you are playing with. A basketball could be just a toy for many, or even represent a release for others, but for me, it means a lot more. A basketball represents my blood, sweat, tears, passion, sacrifice, and most of all, a sense of belonging, like a family. At this moment in my life, there are only three things I devote my life to- family, friends, and basketball. Basketball has shaped my life probably more than anything else. Basketball has instilled in me a vicious will to achieve and embrace my ambitions instead of fearing them. Basketball gave me an open opportunity to try something new. New opportunities and experiences are not such a big deal anymore. From academics to personal matters, the lessons that I have learned from basketball has impacted my life.
...ft," Coach said as we hurried out of the health room. She was right. There was only half the time left. Warm ups seemed to fly by, and before I knew it there were only 35 seconds left on the clock. Murray's team had already headed for the bench for their coach’s last second instructions. "Let's bring it in girls," yelled Coach Moore from our bench. We all ran over not wanting to miss any important last minute words of wisdom from Coach. "OK, starters check in, you know who you are. As I have said, they are about equal in ability with us. We need to go out there and play our hearts out tonight, girls. Enjoy this, it is your last home game this season," Coach said. With that the Ref. blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. I, with the rest of the starters, walked out onto the court and got ready for the tip off, knowing I was completely prepared for the game.
“Life is like a basketball, it bounces up and down.” I love basketball. I feel affection for the taste of victory, when you win a game. However, I also find losing a worthwhile experience. I worship the feeling where you score a point. It’s slow motion at first, as you gaze at the shot you’ve made, wondering if it is going to manage. Then the taste of your salty sweat and the sound of your pounding heart are back in action. *Swoosh* the ball rapidly swirls into the hoop and falls through the net. It is so stunning, and so breath-taking. “Beautiful shot! BEAUTIFUL!” the coach would yell. Everyone would give a little cheer, and I would smile and look down. I am proud to make the shot, but not cocky about it. It’s for the team, teamwork… I would think in my head. Afterwards, I would be focusing on how to get my head completely into the game, that’s how addicting it is.