There are those players blessed with both physical talents and skill development opportunities aiding their advancement who know early on that the basketball gods and goddesses will bestow a college scholarship upon them post high school. For 6-foot-3 Chabot College sophomore guard Jaiden Rivera, such a sense took a while to arrive. His feeling that a college scholarship was within his grasp came "after the season. Everything ended and I took a couple of days for reflection. I put it in God's hands since I figured I did my part."
That at he did after scoring 14.9 points per game on 46%, 36% and 81% shooting alongside earning First Team All Coast-North Conference honors plus being a First Team All Defensive selection.
Now he is headed on a full scholarship to DII Belmont Abbey College, located in a suburb of Charlotte in North Carolina.
Why BAC? "The coach," Rivera explained. Dave Bellfield is the new coach at Belmont Abby, hired in mid-June. "I felt comfortable with the coaching staff knowing my game. They used Synergy software to watch all of my possessions, every single one of them."
Rivera also took a virtual tour of the campus. "It showed everything in 3D, really detailed." Offered a scholarship a couple of weeks ago, "it took me less than a day to decide," Rivera offered.
Asked what he would say to a student coming up to him in September and inquiring what Rivera would bring to the team, he said, "I'll bring energy and fire and play with a chip on my shoulder. Teammates will see my work ethic and follow."
Rivera will major in sports management. His long-term goal is "to teach kids like me how to maneuver through life and basketball." This is a goal particularly inspired by Art Barboza, founder and coordinator of The Striving Black Brothers Coalition on the Chabot campus. As Rivera said, "He helped me a lot, teaching me to be more than a basketball player."
Besides Barboza, Rivera offered thanks to "my great Grandma, my Grampa, my Dad and my siblings, all the people at Chabot who helped me, everyone on the basketball team and all those who doubted me when I first started playing."
He noted two best hoops moments. "I had a big game in the playoffs against Los Medanos this season" (33 points, seven boards and three assists, 8-16 shooting treys in an 89-82 second round victory in the CCCAA Regional). Rivera's second memory was broader focused. "Our whole season was very memorable. We beat CCSF (89-87 on February 1) and had a 14-game winning streak" (finishing 21-9 overall, 13-1 in the Coast-North Conference). "We changed the season narrative with a no days off attitude."
Rivera heads cross country to school in mid-August.
No comments:
Post a Comment