Photo by Craig T Greenlee
\aeem Razzak dribbles past a defender during last week's boys' East-West All
Star Basketball Game played in Greensboro.
Razzak
from page 8/
points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists for the
West team in the All-Star Game. "It all
comes down to me attacking the basket
and making sure that everybody gets their
touches. That's my approach to the game.
It's a proven winning basketball formula.
"Looking back four years ago, I didn't
think I might one day be an All-Star and
get to attend college and play basketball.
Dreams do come true."
The left-handed Razzak looks to make
a similar impact as a freshman at Lees
McRae College this year. He understands
that as a college basketball newbie, he'll go
through an adjustment period like he did
when he first arrived at Mount Tabor as a
ninth-grader.
The competition will be tougher than
high school, and the level of intensity fig
ures to be much higher. It's a challenge that
he embraces.
"The main thing for me is to fit in with
their system," he said. "It's all about hard
work and proving myself. As long as I do
that, I'm confident that my turn will come.
One of the areas of my game that I'll
devote a lot of time to is my shot. That's
really going to help at the next level. I've
learned that when you continue to work on
a skill, you continue to get better at it and
it shows."
Razzak said his confidence about mak
ing an impact at the next level comes from
the experiences he had while playing
under Coach Andy Muse at Mount Tabor.
The growing process he went through,
Razzak explained, was good preparation
for the next level.
"When you play for Coach Muse,
there's more to it than basketball," he said.
"I learned a lot about being a man, taking
responsibility and being accountable.
Maturity has a lot to do with it. As you
continue to mature, you continue to grow.
I'm looking forward to going to Lees
McRae. It feels like home. It's a good fit."
Photo by Cr>i? T Omealce
Sydnie Rogers
Rogers
from page Bl
attention to earning a nurs
ing degree with a special
ization in neonatal care.
Rogers. however,
admits that she could
change her mind and attend
try-outs as a walk-on.
"Right now, it's hard to say
whether I'll give basketball
another shot or not. We'll
see what happens."
At Atkins, Rogers, a 5
foot-9 forward, was an all
purpose - standout who
averaged 9.6 points and 5.3
rebounds per game last
season. Her versatility at
both ends of the floor was
vital in the Camels putting
together another stellar
season (17-5). The previ
ous year, Atkins was 19-8,
which marked a big turn
around from Rogers' fresh
man year when the team
went 2-7.
Atkins finished up last
season as the Northwest
Conference runner-up
behind eventual state
champ Winston-Salem
Prep. During the season,
the Camels split their two
games against the Phoenix.
Rogers, who served as
team co-captain for two
years, contributed as
dependable scorer,
rebounder and distributor.
Defensively, Rogers typi
cally guarded the oppo
nent's best player, which
put her in situations where
she would defend at all five
positions. Equally impor
tant was her presence as
the stabilizing influence for
a young team that had only
two seniors on the roster.
"We established chem
istry at Atkins, and it took
us a long way," said
Rogers, who graduated
with a 4.54 weighted
grade-point average. "I'm
happy that I played a part
in the team's growth. It was
my job to be that voice on
the court and off the court.
I have faith that they'll get
the job done and win a
state title next year."
There's no question
about Rogers' love for the
game. The desire to go into
neonatal nursing, though,
transcends basketball. Her
interest in pursuing a
career in health care started
as a fourth-grader.
"I remember the pedi
atric nurse who came to
school as part of Career
Day," said Rogers. "I
thought it was so cool to
have the skills to be able to
help take care of newborn
babies. Since I love kids, I
knew when I was in ele
mentary school that being a
neonatal nurse would be
the perfect job for me. I
just want to do all 1 can to
make sure that infants get
the best quality of health
care possible."
QB job
from page BJ
Rams' season opens at UNC Pembroke on Sept. 3.
A year ago, Johnson was third on the depth chart
behind Phillip Sims (Arizona Cardinals free agent) and
Rudy Johnson. Even though playing time was sparse,
Johnson learned a few lessons that he believes will help
him for the upcoming season.
"Learning from Phillip and Rudy was a great experi
ence," said Johnson, who played high school ball at High
Point Central. "They had such an impact because of their
confidence and their ability to keep their cool and take
control of the team ."
Entering this season, Johnson is an unknown quantity
because of limited playing time. At 6-feet-3, 200 pounds,
he's sturdy enough to handle the pounding that quarter
backs are exposed to. Equally important is his ability to
make on-target throws. An added bonus is his break-away
speed (runs 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash).
"Justin has so much upside as a pure athlete," said
WSSU quarterbacks coach Jason Mai. "Not only is he
straight-line fast, but he's very explosive when he changes
direction. He has tremendous arm strength and has
improved his accuracy a great deal."
Johnson was not available for duty for spring practice
because of academic difficulties. Those issues have been
resolved and now he's eligible and back on track. Even
though he's had a lengthy layoff, he's confident that he'll
perform up his capability.
"I've gone hard at it since the end of spring," he said
"With all the drills and the work I've put in with the
weights, there shouldn't be any rust. I believe it will all
pay off and I'll be ready to go on Aug. 10."
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