Personal Statement

Hello Coaches, my name is Roland Morton.  I am originally from the Washington DC area, and moved to Clarksville, TN the start of my freshman year of High School. I have been playing and learning the game of basketball almost my entire life. My family has always told me that when I turned around 2 years old, that I had been throwing the basketball around and chasing it, pretty much all day long. Everywhere I went I had a basketball in my hand. Ever since then, they knew my passion for the game would be there. I have played organized ball since I was 7 years old, and have been lucky to have developed overall skills to help me to where I am today.

I've always been competitive, basically because I had to always battle my big brother, older cousins, and their friends. I took them being tough on me personally, and would always come back to try and win. That experience taught me how to use my energy and skill levels to be a better player. I had to earn my spot to be on the court with them. Also being from the DMV area, we take basketball real serious, so I couldn't slack when I had my chance to get on the court. I also feel that because of my upbringing in the DMV, when my family moved to Clarksville, it was an easy transition for me making the JV team my freshman year and practicing with the varsity, which has been stacked with junior and seniors since I have been there. It felt good to hear from the Head basketball coach at the end of the season awards banquet, that I came in as a freshman and contributed to the program by being a leader on and off the court, and especially during practices where I "gave the upper classman fits".  My goal in life is to build off what I have learned and to continue to study basketball so I can  achieve my dream of playing basketball on the collegiate level and beyond, God willing...and do it the right way, by putting in the necessary work to do, and even more.

I take my academics very seriously. I have always maintained a 3.0 or better. My parents always told me that basketball will not always be there, so you have to be an educated person for when that time comes, so I can provide for myself and contribute to my community when needed.  I always do my school work and look to build relationships with my teachers, as well as encourage my teammates and others to stay on top of their work as well. I do understand that to get to the next level, its going to take putting God and school first. Keeping my faith, my family, school, and my great passion for basketball as main priorities will ensure me that I'll be successful. Staying focused on my personal goals, continue to build great character, treating my body right, continuing to better my game, staying competitive, is what I feel will separate me from the rest. Respect is another thing that plays an important role for me. Respecting my coaches, parents, and the people that are helping me achieve my goals will take me far. My parents taught me to be respectful on and off the court, but you have to earn respect from others as well. I have been lucky to be a very athletic person, and was able to develop a love for basketball, which I feel has taught me many lessons on and off the court.