George Z Patsalos '21 Recruiting Profile

   Inhale…exhale…just breathe. I repeat this in my mind as I am standing on the foul line, trusting in myself, my teammates trusting in me. It all starts with trust, belief in the reliability and strength in someone, in me. As Mike Krzyzewski stated, “in leadership there are no words more important than trust”. During my lifetime, I have experienced many challenges and my road has been full of speed bumps and rocky climbs. These life experiences have begun to mold me into the man I will eventually come to be. 

     I think back of when my mother would tell me the story of a little kangaroo, a joey, in its mother’s pouch. This provided me with a lesson of trust. Anchored firmly, the baby kangaroo remains tucked away, intuitively understanding steadfast trust as the mother runs up to 40 miles per hour, while he is bouncing and jolting in a kangaroo pouch. In addition, when he is ready, he emerges unscathed, ready to bounce on his own. Like a joey, we need firm mooring, a place of security and safety amidst the bumps and jolts of life. The basketball court has become my safe haven. I have learned that the meaning of the kangaroo has not changed, depending on where I was in my life; it was always about taking a leap of faith. 

     The kangaroo symbolizes my leap of faith on the basketball court, and with anything that I hold dear in my heart. Building confidence in myself with the belief that I can do anything that may include vast, open and uncharted territory. I have learned that it is important for me to assess the foundations on which my beliefs and actions are based on, knowing challenges can create opportunity. The basketball court helps me to focus in order to keep my personal energies concentrated; it forces me to rely on my instincts, and encourages me to work on building trust, not only with my teammates, but also with my coach. In order to achieve success one must be hardworking, driven, and determined, for me, the court sets the stage. 

     Deciding to move forward will sometimes take a lot of effort. Taking the basketball up for a dunk, will take a leap of faith. My goal is to keep moving forward, because that is where I am headed and I choose to embrace it. I trust that I can succeed because I am a joey.                                                                         

 George Patsalos