Jamal Jacobs (Basketball, Allen University) grew up in Tampa. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Jamal Jacobs’s, in full.
The question
Tell us about a teacher or mentor from high school who challenged you the most or inspired you in a way that still shapes who you are today. Who are they, and what lesson from them do you carry into your life now?
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Jamal Jacobs’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
Hey, how y'all doing? My name is Jamal Jacobs, and the mentor who had the biggest impacts on my life and just who I am today is Coach Jackson. Coach Jackson is my high school coach from Victory Rock Prep down in Bradenton, Florida. Coach Jackson, he challenged me every single day, both on and off the court. His tenacity was something that I'll never forget. He pushed me to become tougher, more disciplined, more accountable, and he helped me hold myself to a higher standard on and off the court. There were times with his approach, he was very hard on me, because I knew it all came from a tough love, a kind of respecting, but I always knew it came from a good place, and that he genuinely wanted to see me become the best version of myself and just a better man and a better basketball player. He taught me that being a leader isn't just about scoring points or being the best player on the team. It's about making people around me and better and be more a better dependable and carrying myself the right way and just being a good leader all in all. A lot of the person and player that I am today comes from those lessons down at Victory Rock Prep. Coach Jackson helped me become a better basketball player, but more importantly, he helped me become a better man and leader, and I'll always be grateful for him. And yeah, thank you guys.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.