Steven Kern '18 Recruiting Profile

I became hooked on basketball when I was 6. In 2006, I watched my home team go all the way to a Section 4 championship game. I was inspired by all the starters. I had their pictures on my wall. I worked hard when basketball season was over. I knew that's what it would take to be better than your average high school player. And it paid off. I'm very glad I've put in that work.

My biggest obstacle was in late June 2015 when during Legion Baseball practice, I was hit in the face with a line-drive as I was pitching batters practice. The ball hit me just a fraction beneath my left eye. I broke my nose, shattered the bones in my cheek/face and now I have three metal plates in my face to show for it. On the way to the emergency room, I was terrified I had lost vision in my left eye and thoughts of life without basketball crept into my mind. After this incident, because of the time it took to heal, I stopped playing football and focused more on basketball, but I still chose to play baseball.

What I've learned through playing basketball is if you put in the time, you will get better, it's not magic. I'm easily coached, I wanna learn, I'm an unselfish player and I try and find the open man on each possession.

I'm going to be studying Physical Therapy to help people get back on their feet so they can enjoy all parts of their life. I'm most proud of hearing my coach tell me on Senior Night that I had single-handedly recreated a winning attitude for Candor basketball. We didn't win a ton of games, but I was told I inspired many young players to become immersed in Candor basketball, just as that 2006 team had done for me. The future for Candor basketball looks bright. But I wanna keep playing basketball at this next level. 

I was selected to the IAC All-Star team three years in a row, 2016, 2017, and 2018. I was just awarded the Bill Pace Memorial Award for "Superior Athletic Accomplishments" given out by Candor Central School.