Nicholas Rivera '24 Recruiting Profile

My name is Nicholas Alexander Rivera (my friends call me "Nick") and I’m a student athlete for Greenfield School, a Div 1A, non-sectarian, private school in Wilson, NC.  I started playing basketball in 7th grade.  It was my first year at Greenfield and watching Coby White play on our varsity team inspired me.  Greenfield School has a strong reputation for being consistent Conference and State Champions in NC with pretty much all of our starters being recruited every year to play for major Div I teams such as Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and others.  Our head coach, Coach Rob Salter, is also very well known within the basketball community so when he showed interest in me after watching me play during gym class, I immediately signed up! 

After working extremely hard in the off-season and practicing one-on-one with multiple coaches, I brought my game up significantly and during the 2019 season (my 2nd year of basketball), I played for 4 teams total!  I was a starter for BOTH middle school teams.  I was the ONLY 8th grader to try-out and make the HS JV Team (I was also the youngest player)!!  I also played my first year of AAU basketball with the Carolina Believers Elite.   AAU ball was an eye-opener as the competition level is very high here.  I played primarily as a bench player in the beginning and worked my way into the line-up as the season progressed.  Coach Russell (AAU Coach) has stated that he anticipates me being a much bigger part of the team's scheme and has announced on Instagram and Facebook that I am his #1 shooter!!  

I feel I am a strong candidate for collegiate sports because I am a student first and foremost.  I put schoolwork in front because I understand that I’m representing my school and since I anticipate attending a strong academic institution for college, being a good student must come first!  My current GPA reflects this and one of my academic goals is to declare as Pre-Med so my preferred college choice is one with a strong pre-med and medical school program.

I also feel that I offer a very unique quality to my game play due to my many years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training since I was 6 years old.  As anyone who watches MMA sports, or who has practiced BJJ will understand, BJJ is a HARD sport and requires mental toughness more than anything!!  The desire to quit when down is a strong desire and it is easy to spot in even above average athletes.  I consider myself an ELITE athlete and when the scoreboard shows I am losing I get TOUGHER.  I put my head down, get mad, and FIGHT TO WIN!!  And if I should lose, I never get down too hard on myself and I make sure I LEARN from my loss and use that experience to get better and stronger for the next match/game.  I am also great at being a team player and I always play with the bigger picture in mind (to win, not to build my stats).  Fun fact: Navy SEALS are 95% wrestlers/BJJ grapplers because of this attribute and recruiters know this and that is why they specifically target wrestlers and BJJ grapplers to become SEALS (my uncle was a Navy SEAL).  I bring this type of mentality to my basketball game and THIS is why you want me on your team!  I not only bring a solid game but I can also be a potential future leader on the court if given the chance.

Thank you for your time learning more about me.  I sincerely hope I will be seriously considered to become a part of your program and given an opportunity to showcase my skills for you.

Very Sincerely,

Nick