The final buzzer sounded. I looked around as the students in the student section rejoiced, and my teammates ran towards me in frenzy. We had just beaten our archrival, Archbishop High School, for the first time in seven years at our arena. After we shook hands, we went back to the locker room and I looked into the crowd and saw two guys who I didn’t think I would ever see again. It wasn’t a long lost relative or an old friend, but rather Coach Adams and his top assistant from the University of Kentucky. After the team meeting, Coach Adams came into the locker room to talk.
He came over and patted me on the back, then told me to come meet with them when I was finished getting ready.
I nodded my head and immediately gathered my belongings, said goodbye to most of my teammates and went into the coach’s office to meet with Coach Adams. His attendance surprised me, especially because I was set to make my college decision in three days and hadn’t talked to him in a few weeks.
I went into the office and put my bags down. Coach Adams cut right to the chase.
"Dasean, you're the number one player in the country, and I’ll be damned if you don’t get paid like the number one player in the country should. You’re 6’8, 240 pounds with the combination of athleticism and pure basketball skills I haven’t seen since LeBron, and you deserve some sort of compensation for what your doing.”
I looked at him perplexed while millions of scenarios ran through my head. This had been the first time in my recruitment that someone had brought up the idea of paying me to come play for their program. I knew this was an NCAA violation, but my mind froze of anything to say as I saw Assistant Coach Hillman, pull out and open a box.
"You know mama need it, she working two jobs, and ya Pops ain't coming back," he said as he opened up the box, containing what looked like several thousand dollars.
He had a point. We needed the money. Mom was working two jobs, and my dad passed away when I was just little kid. I started to sweat like never before, and got nervous because I had no idea what to say or do. With all these different emotions, I got up, told the coaches I would think about it, and I began to head home.
The twenty-minute walk felt like hours. So many different scenarios rushed through my mind. What would happen if I took the money? How would my friends react? My family? What would my Dad do? I had no idea what to do and I was set to make my decision in just a few days. As I walked through my neighborhood known as "The Pit," I noticed all the usual scenes, the drug dealing, the beaten up homes, the run down shops and the different gangs walking up and down the streets. As I walked home, I thought that all of this could not only no longer be a part of my life, but more importantly, my mom could have a better living scenario with one simple exchange. This could be our way out.
As I arrived home that evening, the urge to tell somebody what had happened was there, but until I knew what I wanted, I wasn’t going to tell anyone. I was more nervous than ever, but for the next two days I tried to pretend like nothing more was bothering me than just a college decision. To help mend the stress, I focused on my schoolwork, went to the gym before and after school, and did a significant amount of praying. I prayed to my dad for guidance. Even though he passed away early in my life, he was my mentor, and someone I strived to be like. But even during these times, in my comfort zone, these thoughts kept coming back.
It was Thursday night, less than 24 hours until I was to announce my decision on a live broadcast on ESPN. My mind was still in a clutter. We were set to have all my family over for a get together to celebrate my big achievement. As relatives began pouring through the door, I was still nervous, but I didn’t want to show that so I kept a smile on my face the whole night. My best friends, cousins, and the closest people in my life showed up. It was a very relaxing being with my family and having such positive energy around me. Thoughts about my future came in and out of my mind once in a while, but this was the first time I was at peace since that meeting with Coach Adams. The night was quite ordinary until dinner came and my Mom did something she never does: a toast.
"I would like to thank all of you for coming to this wonderful dinner and I couldn’t be happier to see you all here on this special night for Dasean. We have never had much in terms of material things, but we have always had each other. After losing James, you have all been there for us. Some of you took on the role of Dasean’s father, and have helped make him the young man he is today. From the bottom of my heart, I love all of you," she said, holding back tears.
It was at this moment where something hit me. My mom never liked to get in front of others and talk, but today was different. Today meant something to her. She had never favored either of the schools I was choosing from, but always said to me, "do what’s best for Dasean." I realized that she didn’t need the extra money to be happy, and neither did I. We had each other, and we had the best family anyone could ask for. I looked around at the people who had supported me and realized; what kind of person would I be if I took this money? Not someone my mom raised me to be.
After hours of fun with my family, I had finally made my decision and was ready to tell my mom. I sat her down, and began to tell her that I was going to commit to be a student athlete at Towson University. I immediately saw the smile on her face as she told me she was proud of me and loved me.
It had always been rough on my mom since my dad passed away. She had to take care of me by herself, and work multiple jobs at the same time. Being the man of the house, I had to make sure she was always staying on her feet, and this was one of the first times I have seen her genuinely happy in a long time which meant more to me than anything. As I tucked myself into bed, I looked up to the stars and prayed to my best friend, my dad and thanked him for being my Guardian Angel.
I woke up the next morning after barely being able to sleep because of the excitement of the big day. I put on my nicest clothes and was ready to announce my decision. When I arrived at school, I saw all my friends smiling, ready for my big moment. While getting mic'd for my TV interview, I began sweating profusely. I couldn’t tell if I were more nervous or excited to be on TV. As the live telecast began, the only thing I could focus on was the smile on my mom’s face as she sat beside me. No one knew my decision besides her, and I was ready to let the rest of the world know. The lights were shining bright in my eye, and my body started to tingle. I started to feel sick to my stomach as the ESPN reporter began to introduce me. It was finally my time. I choked up a little bit, but I finally got the courage to say the words out loud,
"I am proud to announce I will be attending Towson University next year," I said as I put on the black and yellow Tigers hat.
I turned to my mom, gave her a hug as I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"I love you," I said as we walked through the flood of people.