I usually post inspirational articles from other coaching blogs. But I felt compelled to write this entry myself.
You know I always wondered what type of young man my little brother would turn out to be. He was always reserved as a kid. I often thought about “how would he defend if someone picked on him?” “Is he going to be “tough?” what type of girls would he like?” You see I was away in college chasing a basketball dream during his youth. Not to mention our age gap and my college degree which kept me in Birmingham, AL. So my Little Brother, Kadeem Robinson was always on my mind.
Throughout his school years he immediately became a sensational student-athlete, consistently making the A honor roll; regardless of what went on in his surroundings. “Bay Bro” showed that despite what some might call obstacles or setbacks, he would only accept and expect greatness!
May 26, 2011 will forever be etched in my mind. This was the day he graduated from Summit Christian H.S. in West Palm Beach, FL. To make things even better he wasn’t expecting my family and I to attend. I told him we couldn’t get off from work. So to see the look on his face when we walked in; Priceless!! He was a standout athlete on the football team, a tremendous leader and point guard on the basketball team, and even ran track. With his guidance and perseverance his basketball team was crowned state champions.
As I sat at his graduation I was truly moved to see how special and well liked he was. He was top 5 in his class, he carried a 4.3 GPA, he won the US Army Male Student-Athlete scholarship Award, he was President of the Spanish Honor Society (yes Spanish), member of the Honor Society, and the Valedictorian even mentioned him in her speech. It was his night!You could feel it; he had a packed house full of supporters. You could hear the excitement as the announcer announced his decision to attend the University of Florida……..on an academic scholarship. I know you were thinking I would say football or basketball. But he actually turned down offers from some small schools to play sports and pursue his passion for Computer Engineering. So in LeBron James’s words….he’s taking his talents, his AP courses, and his 4.3 GPA, to the “Swamp”.
I was pretty good at sports myself and very popular, but I did just enough to get by. But Mr. Robinson realized at an early age that it’s not always about how many touchdowns or three pointers you score, but how many points you score in class.
My “Little Brother” has showed me that he can stand on his own; he’s to cool for anyone to pick on him. His actions, leadership, and confidence defend him. I also found out that all nationalities of women would take a liking to this well rounded individual who is extremely focused on success. This was the day I saw my “Little Brother” take the first step to transforming into young man. I saw a young man do things I only dreamt of accomplishing when I was his age.
Kadeem Pharsee Robinson I just want you to know how much I Love and Admire You. Keep it up Bay Bro,
From Your Big Brother
Ballin' with Barber 