With the regular season winding down, Outside the Huddle reached out to a handful of area senior boys basketball players. These players have spent 3-4 years on the varsity level. We asked them to tell us, in their own words, what they’d do different if they could go back to the start of their varsity careers, reminisce about their legacy and look forward to their final prep postseason. This is one such story:
IF I COULD GO BACK
If I could go back and tell myself as a freshman something I would say multiple things. First would be to take every lifting session seriously; I found it very important to get stronger and I found an edge on my opponent by eventually really getting in the weight room and getting stronger.
Next, I would say to soak in all the information you can on listening and watching the upperclassman’s actions and the way they would lead on and off the court. Thankfully for me, I had Parker Hazen to watch everyday. It was pivotal for me to learn from the seniors I played with to become a leader the team needed me to be.
Lastly, I would say to understand that when coach yells or gets on you, it is because he truly cares and wants the best for you. I struggled, but eventually realized that when the coaches got on me, it is because I was an important part of the team as a freshman and they truly cared about me. It was all about my mindset.
MY LEGACY
The impact and legacy I hope to leave on the program is something that is important to me. It’s not about the winning for me, but I hoped to inspire and be a good role model for the next kids to come in and play at the varsity level. Hopefully through me, they can see what hard work and dedication is and I hope to leave behind a culture that wants to always be coachable. Obviously something I will have left behind and will be is the all-time leading scorer, but I hope that isn’t it. I hope to have left a culture and environment that inspires kids to work hard and play for each other; an overall positive place where guys can put in 100 percent effort everyday.
MY FINAL POSTSEASON
My hopes for this postseason, as a senior, is to leave it all out on the floor with the dudes I’ve played with for all my life. It’ll be the last time we’re playing together so I hope to really bond together and play together for one last time. The goal is always a sectional championship but I just want to leave it all out on the floor. Playing for Columbia City and suiting up, putting on that jersey for four straight years is nothing to take for granted. Not a lot of kids can say that!
– Mitchell Wilson, Columbia City Class of 2020
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