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In His Own Words: 2015 Stephen Zimmerman

For those that don’t know me, I’m Stephen Zimmerman, a 6’11” freshman at
Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV. Before I started 9th grade I
was fortunate enough to have 4 scholarship offers from UNLV, UCLA, Kansas
and UConn. What a crazy experience my freshman season has been. From,
travelling to major tournaments to playing with and against top athletes to
being injured part of the season, I thought I knew what to expect but
really had no idea.
I knew coming in that I would be the only freshman on a team that included
9 seniors, 5 or 6 are D1 athletes and 1 of those is the #1 player in the
class of 2012, Shabazz Muhammad. Working out, practicing with and against
Bazz both last summer, with Dream Vision, and this season with Gorman has
shown me the dedication and work ethic it takes to be the best. I’ve been
lucky enough to see how Bazz handles recruiting pressures, autograph and
interview requests and even how to talk to all of the coaches that come to
watch us practice and play. I didn’t know so much extra goes on off the
court just to play basketball. Bazz is the hardest working player I know.
If he isn’t in the gym, he’s training or working out constantly improving
his game and getting better.
This season we have not only played our regular division games in-state,
going undefeated, but have also travelled to major tournaments around the
country. During our almost 3 week Christmas break, I spent 17 days on the
road, first at City of Palms in Florida and then the BeachBall Classic in
South Carolina. In January, we went to the Hoophall Classic at the
Basketball Hall of Fame and beat a very good DeMatha HS team on ESPNU.
Going from summer ball and starting for Dream Vision 16U’s to being the 7th
-8th man on my high school team was a tough transition. I didn’t know it
was going to be as frustrating as it was to have to sit there and feel like
I wasn’t contributing to my team. I definitely learned to be as productive
as possible with the minutes I had when I did get in. Having to sit, makes
you want to play even more.
This season I also suffered my first real injury. My knee started to ache
and after an MRI, I learned I had a slightly torn meniscus. I decided to go
ahead and have it taken care of so I would be 100% for summer and AAU
season. I only missed 3 weeks and was able to play in our regional
Championship game. I’ve been blessed to never have had an injury that kept
me out before and it definitely made me appreciate how lucky I am whether I
play 8 minutes or 32 minutes.
We are heading out to State Championships this week with a record of 26-4
and hope to bring a State Championship back to Bishop Gorman HS. I’d like
to thank my parents for being there no matter what and giving me the
support I need to play basketball. I’d also like to thank all the coaches
and trainers who have and continue to help me develop, especially Clay
Williams and Ron Holmes. I’m excited to hit the court this summer as a
member of my AAU club team, Dream Vision!
Pic: Las Vegas Sun.
Follow @NealNieves







