Ever thought yourself really good at something, and then, all of a sudden, get put in a group of people far more talented than you? Jarring, isn’t it? For me it happened in high school calculus. I’d always been the person people called for help about math, and cheated off of on test day. But in calculus, suddenly I was the one needing help. Bradley Nelson, you have my eternal thanks.
Antoine Hosley
University of Washington freshman Antoine Hosley is going through that right now. A star basketball player in high school, he’s a “walk-on” with the Huskies (meaning that he’s not on scholarship). He talked about how that feels in very honest and thoughtful way for someone his age with the Seattle Times‘ Percy Allen. Here’s Hosley:
I’m just not used to this. A walk-on guy, he has to earn his keep. He doesn’t necessarily have the respect of the other players, the scholarship players. So it is humbling. I was thinking about that a lot today actually. And I’ve always been one of the star players on my team every since I was young so it is humbling, but it makes me want to work even harder to get just to get back to what has been normal for me from what I’ve experienced in basketball…
I feel like I have to prove myself everyday…. So say if I messed up, it was like okay, he has the ability, he just messed up. I feel like everyday I’m earning the respect of these cats and trying to get to the point to where I can make a mistake…. So I just got to keep working.
Everyone reaches their highest level of achievement at some point: scholastically, athletically, professionally. Hosley’s Husky teammates will perhaps reach theirs at the next level. For now, though, we’re rooting for you, Antoine!
Note: The Seattle Times‘ Percy Allen is absolutely killing it with Husky coverage. If you like Husky hoops, or want to give following the team a shot this year (they are going to be real good), make Allen’s blog daily reading.
UPDATE: The Huskies were picked today in a media poll as the preseason favorites to win the Pac-10. Of the 35 voters, 33 picked the Huskies first. It’s the first time in school history Washington has been picked to win the conference.
