SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Feb. 1, 2012)
Nieyana Brooks once received a piece of advice she’s never forgotten. “Somebody told me – don’t ever use your situation as a crutch to hold you back, and that’s not what I’m going to do,” the Harry S. Truman senior said. “I’m not going to use it as a crutch to lean on and hold me back and use that as an excuse. That’s not an option.” Brooks – who grew up in Philadelphia but has lived in a foster home for five years - has never used her difficult circumstances growing up as an excuse, preferring instead to use them as motivation. The Truman senior boasts a 4.049 GPA and is ranked 29th out of her senior class of 387. Next fall, she will begin pursuing her dream of one day becoming a Neonatal Physician’s Assistant when she enrolls in the health/sciences program at college. “The goals started when I was younger and my mom was on drugs,” she said. “I never really held that against her, and I knew that by me bettering myself I could make the situation even better than it was. My mom’s been clean for four years, and to me, that’s an accomplishment. That’s made me want to better myself even more.”
Brooks is the lone senior on Truman’s basketball squad, opting to stick with it when her friends and classmates decided to walk away. Making that even more impressive is the fact that the Tigers have not won an SOL game during her four years with the program. “Quitting never came to mind,” Brooks said. “I have too many supporters to even have the option to give up. That just never crossed my mind because there always were positive people around me. I don’t surround myself with negativity. You become who you hang around, so I just stay away from negative people.”
Coach Collette Munford remembers Brooks when she came on board as a ninth grader. “We had very low numbers for the jayvee and varsity combined,” the Tigers’ coach said. “She would play four quarters of jayvee and three more for varsity. She was the only person who would think of doing that.” Brooks, a senior captain, is a leader of this year’s young Tiger squad.
While Brooks may not be winning on the basketball court, she is winning off it. She is the recipient of a Horatio Alger Scholarship and has applied for other scholarships as well. She has already been accepted at Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Penn State. “She’s very smart,” Munford said. “She has goals, and she’s achieving them one by one. She’s definitely a student-athlete, and she puts student first. She’s not going to let anything mess that up. She’s a strong girl, very strong. Everything she’s doing she’s doing for herself. She knows if she doesn’t do it nobody will do it for her.”
To read Brooks’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/nieyana-brooks
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Feb. 1, 2012)
John Decamara entered his senior season with a bull’s eye on his chest. The Upper Dublin senior sharpshooter had already given glimpses of his ability, burying 97 three-pointers in his sophomore and junior seasons combined. This year he has already connected on 63 treys, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. “Not only is he good offensively, but he really works hard on his defensive game,” coach Josh Adelman said. “Whatever’s needed, he does. John’s also one of our best rebounders, he’s always top five in steals, and he’s done a lot of work on his ballhandling. He’s worked hard on his game.”
The Flying Cardinals’ senior captain brings his teammates into just about any conversation about his own talents. Mention his shooting, and he’ll bring up how the rest of the Cardinals are getting the ball to him within the flow of the game. Question how he’s able to get open with other teams guarding him so closely, he’ll praise the rest of the team for being able to work the ball around the perimeter and set picks. Ask him if he feels extra pressure to lead the team in scoring…”We’ve got a lot of seniors on the team, guys who have been around for a while, and we’ve got some young guys with talent,” he said. “If (opposing defenses) are keying on me, we have other guys who can step up and make the big shot.” Adelman points to Decamara’s defense as having jumped to a new level this season. “He’s known for his offensive prowess, but he really does a great job defensively,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “He’s one of those kids I don’t like to take off the court very often.”
Decamara hasn’t made any decisions on college yet though he doesn’t expect to play collegiate basketball, and no matter how his final high school season ends, Decamara wants to make sure he and his fellow Flying Cardinals leave it all on the court. “I’m trying to make it last,” he said. “I’m going to cherish every game I have and work hard and make sure the team works hard. We’ll do what we can and hope we can make a run in the playoffs and hope that everything works out for us.”
To view Decamara’s complete profile, please click on the following link:
http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/john-decamara
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