Donte' Pope '20 Recruiting Profile

What makes me a good candidate for any collegiate team is that I consider myself a positive team leader seeking to improve my basketball IQ and physicality for the next level of my athletic career. Coming from a small town of Middletown, CT, I sought out and attended University Science and Engineering  High School in Hartford, Connecticut, a magnet that focused on STEM fields. Although challenging and rewarding in academics, the varsity level high school basketball team was less challenging and, at times, frustrating. Through this adversity, I continued to improve academically and compete at a high level while keeping a positive attitude.

Following my first two years at the magnet school, I decided to seek Preparatory High School to obtain a better education and more athletic opportunities to prove myself. Unfortunately, financial difficulties and Prep school tuition caused me to decide to return to magnet school or attend my hometown public high school. As a result of my transfer to my public high school and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) participation rules, I was forced to miss 10 out of the 20 scheduled games for the season.

Basketball has been my passion since I was 4-years-old playing Parks and Rec. ball, and I have realized that there are life lessons to be learned through the sport.  I used my time acclimating to a new school to focus on my academic studies, continuing to work very hard in practice (as the new kid) knowing I would not be playing, and being a positive team player to help out in any way. Through the lessons I have learned, I have improved my listening skills, leadership skills, and work ethic, while at the same time promoting teamwork, positivity, and respect. By the end of the 2018-2019 basketball season, only playing 10-games, I made the CIAC All-Conference Team, and was nominated as a 2019-2020 team captain. I strongly believe in working hard through challenges because life rewards will follow.