CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – For some student-athletes, tryouts for their teams have already happened. For other sports, like basketball, tryouts are still to come. Many athletes are going into their new seasons feeling a little extra inspiration thanks to the Paris Olympics!
“It gives me motivation, because it’s like you might want to be there one day,” said Justin Jones.
Jones has played for PUSH Basketball since 7th grade. He’s now a junior at Atlantic Shores Christian School in Chesapeake where Team PUSH practices. The league is sponsored by Rapper PUSHA-T.
PUSH Basketball helps get student-athletes in front of college scouts so they can continue their athletic career and their education. Khalil Caple is a senior on PUSH. He says the Olympics taught him the importance of leaving ego at the door and bonding with teammates.
“Just hanging out, like playing video games together, stuff like that. You know, just getting to know each other on and off the court helps with trust on the court,” said Caple.
Sophomore Morgan Herbert plays for Lady PUSH. She says she hopes someday she can win gold with Team USA, and she loves the growing support for women’s basketball.
“It makes me want to work harder because watching the next level, all the fans that are at their games, the college basketball games and more people at the WNBA games, it inspires me to want to get there just to feel that intensity,” said Herbert.