As the year comes to a close, athletes have begun to commit to colleges where they will continue their sports career. However, a path that doesn’t get much recognition is going to prep academies. Senior Lincoln Lockhart has announced his commitment to Andrews Osborne Academy in Willoughby, Ohio.
“[Prep academies are] all set up like college, and there’s a bunch of kids with the same goals trying to go to college. I will be playing against some of the top players in the country, but everyone has the same goals and just wants to get a scholarship to play college basketball,” L. Lockhart said.
Lockhart has been preparing for opportunities like this throughout his high school career by pushing himself in many ways to improve his skills on the court. He is using his attendance to Andrews Osborne Academy as an opportunity to hone his skills before playing in college or professionally.
“Lincoln‘s biggest area of growth has been his physicalness and change in body structure. He has really dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger in the weight room as well as working on his mobility with his footwork. I’ve also seen him really grow into a positive, strong leader, especially from his sophomore to senior year and how teammates have really taken to his leadership style, again contributing to the success of the overall program,” coach Doug Baumann said.
Lockhart was originally going to Trine University, but decided the school wasn’t the right fit for him. Andrews Osborne Academy then reached out to him and he visited shortly before committing.
“It’s definitely been very interesting to watch how much he’s grown and it’s definitely inspiring to see him accomplish that,” Lincoln’s brother Cruz Lockhart said.
Although Cruz is planning on pursuing soccer in his future rather than basketball, there are many lessons from Lincoln that he will be able to take with him.
“On the court, he inspires me to do better and do more. Off the court, he always pushes me to my max of what I can do,” C. Lockhart said.
Having people to look up to in your life can be very beneficial to the way that you are motivated and can be the difference between being successful or not.
“My dad has definitely been my role model. He played in college so he has had me playing basketball from a young age and a lot of my success goes to him,” L. Lockhart said.
Although being physically athletic and having skills in your sport is important, being committed and working hard is what makes players like Lincoln stand out.
“Lincoln is a hard worker with lots of passion and dedication for the game. As a coach, those attributes are extremely beneficial for the success of a program as well as his own success. Lincoln always brought great intensity into practices and games which was a direct result of our success as well as his own,” Baumann said.
Having support from teammates and coaches can be extremely beneficial when preparing for your future and working on improvement in your sport.
“I think my teammates helped me a lot just being goal oriented and pushing myself to the limit. I’m excited for what we have next and I am thankful for everyone at Traverse City West,” L. Lockhart said.
