Eliot Dojutrek '21 Recruiting Profile

I really started playing basketball out of spite. From a very young age, I was always being shuffled between my older brothers’ basketball practices and games and I swore that someday they would have to come to mine. However, after my first real practice, I quickly fell in love with everything about the sport. I immediately wanted to be the best player I could. I started to challenge my brothers to play me so I could get stronger. Despite my dad’s warnings, they played me hard. At first they got the better of me, but that just drove me harder. It did not take as long as they would have liked for me to start putting up a fight. Eventually, while they were physically taller and stronger, they could not match my skill and intensity.

It was that intensity and a host of coaches who continually pushed me that made me the player I am today. While everyone stresses offense, they preached defense, floor leadership, and what it took to be a great leader and teammate. I loved it all. Basketball is played on both ends of the court and my competitive nature and intensity doesn’t stop when the ball is not in my hands.

I bring that same intensity to everything I do, whether on the court, helping younger kids develop their basketball skills, or in the classroom. It has helped me as a starting point guard on my AAU team (earning several USJN All-Star awards), the starting point guard freshman year on my high school’s JV team, the sixth man as a sophomore for Prospect’s varsity team, and my current role as a captain and starting guard.

I want to go to a school that is going to push me both academically as well as athletically and continue my development as a student, player, and leader. My work ethic, competitive nature, and leadership qualities have taken me a long way so far and am looking to go even further at the college level.