|
A Basketball Player Pursues Grail Beyond Degree
by Joseph Ayers
Hoop dreams
|
"Yo Hipp" can be heard from across campus as senior basketball player James Hippolyte makes his way down to the gym. From the streets of New York City the sports management major is wrapping up his final stint here at Mars Hill College, after transferring here two years ago.
Hipp explored three different colleges before finally making his way to Mars Hill. He spent a semester at Iona University in Rochelle, New York, a year at Edinburg College, and then finally a year at Garrett Junior College in Maryland, all in the chase for an American Dream, professional basketball.
Hipp, like many others, has used basketball as a ticket out of the rough neighborhood and into the classroom. Just before he arrived at Mars Hill he lost his cousin in a shooting down in Florida, an event Hipp says that changed his whole way of thinking. Hipp is a product of the streets and grew up playing in the parks of New York City.
"We didn't always live in a nice house," Hipp says, "and life ain't been easy, but without a struggle there is no progress."
He is an extremely athletic player who enjoys getting out and running the wing as well as crashing the boards from the outside. He enjoyed a very promising year at Garrett College, averaging over 20 points a game while playing on the wing and hoped to further his career by coming to a Mars Hill team that enjoyed running the floor.
Upon arrival here, however, Hipp found himself "sent down into the paint" where he was forced to play a more physical game against the bigger players, which is not really his strength. He played power forward for the Lions but tells us his true position is the small forward.
After a decent junior season here, he returned with hopes of being one of the top players on the team but soon found himself on the bench due to his position and style of play. He had a dismal season, averaging only 2.8 points a game, although he exploded for 15 points and eight rebounds once, in a 72-73 loss to Carson-Newman.
But he hasn't given up. He still wants a chance to play his game, is looking for an agent, and hopes to go overseas next year to take his dream to the next level, a professional career. He believes he can make it overseas, where fans and coaches favor players with his speed and athleticism.
There is only one problem. He can't walk in graduation this May because Mars Hill requires sports management majors to do an internship before receiving a diploma. So he will return to New York this summer, where he hopes to work at either ESPN or Turner Sports to fulfill this obligation.
This however will not deter James Hippolyte, for within the next week Hipp will travel to Utah to workout in front of the scouts and agents who decide what happens to players who have come to the end of their college eligibility. The trip for Hipp is his chance to break into the international game.
"All I need is just an opportunity to get my foot in the door, and I'll make it happen," Hipp says.
Plan B is looking for work in the entertainment industry or at a sports agency where he can sign up-and-coming talent. Daily Hipp can be found on the Internet, where he meets many new and interesting people who connect him to the club life back home, the entertainment industry, and the basketball court. Hipp says he loves to meet new people, and his teammates and any number of young ladies will witness to his charming nature and his laugh.
Give us your feedback. We value your opinions.
The Hilltop reserves the right not to post anonymous comments or any that could be judged slanderous, that make unverifiable allegations of fact, or use language we consider in bad taste.
All fields must be filled in.
HOME
| 
