By Micah Ingram
For freshman Phil Claybrooks, sports consume his time, his life, and his mind. Although his greatest passion is basketball, he is also on the JV football team. Outside of team sports, he likes to watch anime, bike, and play games.
He’s also very social, so much so that I could barely pull him in for an interview because he was so engaged with different people and making new friends. One of his favorite memories so far this year is standing outside of Wallace and just talking to friends for an hour before practice. So, if you’re interested, you know where to find him.
Despite Phillip’s extroverted personality and love for socializing, he is still new here and revealed that he is still adjusting after moving from his old school, Jersey Hills, which was smaller. Social stuff aside, one of his biggest fears this school year is overworking himself.
Fortunately, Phillip said he tends to balance all aspects of his life pretty well. He’d like to continue his streak of earning all A’s. He suspects this might be more challenging due to there being more work at Lovett.
But Phillip’s academic drive isn’t the only thing that stands out. He views basketball as his way into his future, and dreams of playing in the NBA later on in his life.
As I was interviewing him, I thought about my own basketball days and the way the game is both physical and mental. I wondered how he feels when he walks onto the court. He described it as very loud and intense, which to me translates to a free panic attack. When it comes to his mental game, he said he sometimes gets too much in his head.
As for strengths on the court, he spoke of his drive to the net and his communication skills with his teammates. In this case, those skills he’s perfecting outside the Wallace while chatting with friends likely match the ones he’s developing inside the Wallace on the court.
Though basketball is certainly part of Phillip’s future, he also wants to pursue finance and investing.
But Phillip has a while before his next big step up in life, and he’s focusing on the process of fulfilling his goals and dreams.
“I look forward to putting my heart out into whatever I’m doing,” he said.
