Freshman Cameron Henkin is sitting in his last block of the school day and all he is thinking about is his first game of the season and how he’s starting and can’t wait to show everyone how great of a player he is.
Playing a sport you love can be filled with joy and ease but it also can have some things that aren’t as great.
“When I play basketball it makes me nervous,” Henkin said. “Because there’s always a chance of me playing bad or failing in a sport I care about. But once I get over that it really just calms me.”
Starting something young doesn’t mean you’ll have an advantage you still have to earn your way through.
“I started playing basketball when I was five years old,” Henkin said. “I never stopped playing since then, it’s just always been too fun for me and I’ve never had a reason to quit so I just haven’t.”
Even when you have a sport to play you still have a family that you need to attend to also which can sometimes get in the way of achieving the goal you want.
“Sometimes I have to go to family events, or watch my siblings so I have to miss practice,” Henkin said. “Which sucks because I miss a chance to practice and get better with my team and just with my sport in general.”
While Henkin doesn’t have much free time outside of basketball he still finds time to keep a bond with his friends with the little time he does have.
“All I really do is play basketball,” Henkin said. “But when I’m not I usually play the game with my friends JJ, Ryan, or Chaz. Or I’ll go to JJ’s house for a little hangout, and on weekends my friend Ja’Qalyn will usually come over and we’ll just hangout at my house till he leaves on Sunday and I’m back at basketball.”
Henkin has a close bond with some of his teammates but the biggest bond with Freshman Cameron Littler. He’s spent time and been friends with Littler outside of school which brings them closer together in basketball.
“On the court I believe Cameron Henkin is very good. He’s very determined and is a team player and not a ball hog,” Littler said. “Outside of school I think we are good friends. We just don’t hang out a lot anymore, if it was up to me I would hangout with him more but me and him both have a lot going on and our schedules don’t always align.”
Henkin being a starter on a varsity team and having another basketball team to attend to isn’t easy because coaches are always looking for people who can always be there which Henkin can’t always do. He scored six points in his first game against Gateway Science Academy.
“I play for a AAU team called the Vipers,” Henkin said. “Its challenging being on two teams because some days I might have to miss a practice to go the other team’s practice or a practice to go to a game which sucks because if I miss a Hancock practice they wont let me start the next game, even though I know I’m prepared and good enough to start.”
Henkin is just supported by friends and family, his teammates also support him even if they’re not that close to him.
“He is a good player and he definitely has growth,” Senior Karon Wise said. “He can shoot you know what i’m sayin and as long as he doesn’t trip on what the coach is doing then he ballin. And he a good person, I think by the time he gets to his senior year he will be tearing teams apart.”
