Going into freshman tryouts a lot of people tend to be very timid and nervous. Some go in with the mindset that they need to one up the other players or impress the coach. Yet, for freshman Jason Phillips going into basketball tryouts he was very confident. What sets the small forward Phillips apart from his opponents is his attitude and self confidence. “Every game I think I’m going to take over.”  

Being a small forward he is the third player on the court and has the position to play any position. He scores points, defends, and is the secondary rounder behind the power forward and center.

Phillips has been playing basketball since he was three years old. Never being apart of an AAU league, he is a self-taught  athlete. “I just love playing, it’s my favorite sport,” Phillips said.

Despite being a freshman Phillips shows a great amount of talent and hustle on the court. When being asked if he thought he  was going to make the varsity team, Phillips said, “It’s going to happen, but I need to keep on practicing.”

Freshmen making varsity in any sport is rare and kind of a big deal. Even though Phillips is younger than his teammates he isn’t intimidated, “I still feel the same as if I were playing with guys my age, I go in with the same mindset everyday I play to get better,” Phillips said.

As far as his basketball career goes, he plans on being a four-year varsity player and playing in college. Phillips believes if he has the right “mindset” to go along with his physical ability and practices hard every day he can go anywhere.