Jayce

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What do they love most about playing their sport(s)?

I love that basketball made me more confident. I didn't talk much when I was little. I was in speech therapy for a long time. I also wasn't coordinated — my brain and my body weren't really on the same page, so I had to work on things like running and balance that other kids just did without thinking about it. Basketball is probably the hardest thing I could have picked. I think that's part of why I like it.

Who inspires them—on or off the field—and why?

My dad and my grandpa. They never told me I was going to be good at basketball. What they told me is that if you put in the work, the rest comes. My grandpa says it like it's just a fact, not like he's trying to hype me up. The reason I believe it is that I watch them. My dad gets up every day and goes to work, and then he still gets his workout in, and he still makes time to do things with me and have fun.

What’s one moment in their athletic journey that makes you proudest?

Jayce spent years in speech therapy, working at something most children get for free. And when he first picked up a basketball, his mind and his body weren't on the same page. he knew what he wanted to do and the movement wouldn't follow. We took him to physical therapy and to a running specialist just to have someone look at how he ran. His BB trainer pushes the kids hard, one session he pushed Jayce to tears. He didn't stop or complain or look at me for encouragement. He simply finished.