Monday, August 31, 2009

An Interview with Trevell: A Miracle League Basketball Player



Originally uploaded by Sunshine Gospel Ministries
Senior high student, Trevell, who is a junior at Team Englewood High School once again played on our Miracle League basketball team this year. He stopped by the office for a little interview about his experience. In fact, he was part of the original team and claims to have never missed a practice or a game. We can't deny this! :-)

What have you learned from such devotion? What has kept you playing on the Miracle League team year after year? I guess a drive to win. Dave is good coach, too. I’m dedicated to the team. This particular team. Even if that means we haven’t won a game, like last year when the only game that we won was the last game of the season.

What position to do play? Small forward.

What strengths do you think you bring to the team? Shooting ability. And my ability to motivate my teammates to play, even when it gets hard.

Have you experienced Dave outside of the basketball team?
Yeah, I’ve attended some of the hip-hop Fridays at Sunshine. I’ve gone to church with Dave and gone camping in Michigan for a week when they took a bunch of guys. He’s a caring, nice man. Funny, too.

How would you describe his coaching style?
Laid-back, relaxed.

I know that devotions are a part of the time you and team spend together. Is there any part of the devotion time that particularly stands out to you? The Proverbs. And, I know that they spent time in John. I think John 3:26. What impressed me is that I need to learn to trust – trust anybody, but most especially God. He’s the main person to trust in. And, that I need to examine who I love, who I put my trust in. You know, who my role model is. We shouldn’t have two masters.

What has been your experience of the greater Miracle League? It’s been a good league and we spend time getting to know our other teammates. Nice people. Good competition. Like I said before, Dave is a good coach.

Are there others that have been on team as long as you?
Yeah, Baby T, Pierre, Terrell have been on the team for 4 years like me. And, Eric has been on the team for 3 years. We’re all friends off the court as well.

What else do you have going on this summer? I do odd jobs for the Black United Fund, painting, construction work, and things. We go to different sites across Chicagoland all summer doing these odd jobs.

Do you have any long term goals for your life? Like college? Yeah. I’d like to play basketball. I’d like to go to college. A four year college at either Iowa, Wisconsin, or Indiana. Why those schools? Well, they are Big 10 schools. What would you like to study? History. Forensic science. Sports management. I haven’t decided yet.

Do you play basketball during the school year at your high school?
Yeah. Do you see a difference between the two teams? Yeah. During the school year, it’s about me and the coach. I listen to him and I worry about my game. But, during the summer, in Miracle League, it’s about Dave and it’s our team. I listen to Dave and I worry about what’s good for the whole team.

Does being on the basketball team affect your academics? Positively?
Depends on the time of the year. Sometimes it’s a distraction, but mostly basketball helps is a positive thing and helps to keep me focused. In fact, I’ve raised my GPA since I’ve been on the team. And now I just have to worry about a good ACT score.

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