I have witnessed one of the most amazing turnarounds in my coaching career this season. This change has nothing to do with a comeback victory, or our team's record. I got a chance to witness the evolution of a young man I initially deemed to be unfit for our basketball team.
I've suspended quite a few guys over the years for not meeting my expectations academically. Lebraun, 21, is an example of this. After he took the college placement test and placed into remedial Math and English, I encouraged him to visit the Math Center regularly for help--especially since he had trouble completing a simple algebra problem in my office. He went once. A month into the school year, Lebraun had Fs in all but one class. He didn't have books for his classes either. I gave him a week to make assignments up in order to stay on the team. The assignments weren't completed. As a result, he was suspended for three weeks along with a teammate who was also failing miserably.
When mid-term grades came out, I was surprised to see that Lebraun had pulled his grades up enough to warrant another chance. The other suspended teammate continued to flounder. I still had doubts about Lebron's attitude towards academics despite this turnaround. Lebraun's grades were the first to be released this week. I was floored when I saw his academic report.
Writing B, Reading B+, College Readiness B+, Computer Info Systems C-
Cumulative GPA: 2.85
Seeing this report took me back to something Lebraun said during a bus ride out to an away game in Connecticut.
Lebraun: This is still a shock to me.
Me: What's a shock to you?
Lebraun: All of this. I'm on a team. I always wanted to be on a team, and I'm finally getting a chance.
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