WS Chronicle

Last week three Parkland High School basketball players signed their letters of intent to play basketball for Littlejohn Sports Academy. Casey Wilkins, Josh Reid and Jaidon Berrow are the newest members of the Raven family.

Littlejohn is a one to two year post-graduate program/junior college program that allows players to earn higher test scores or grades toward a four-year institution. This is a great route for many kids to earn a scholarship because it does not affect their classification in the NCAA while also gaining exposure.

The library at Parkland was packed with former teammates and family of the signees. Wilkins, Reid and Berrow were joined by Jon Weavil, head basketball coach for Littlejohn.

“I think they all come from a strong coaching background here and they have a successful program here,” said Weavil. “Casey is a true leader that can really shoot it and plays hard. Josh is a really strong slasher to the rim and a good defender and Jaidon is very athletic and can really jump and slash to the basket.”

“We feel like these are three good guys to bring in with a winner’s mentality that are going to help us be successful this season.”

Weavil stated the ultimate goal is for all three young men to come into his program and become successful enough to earn a scholarship to a four-year university or junior college. He says they will spread their name around to make them known to the coaches in the college ranks.

Travis Holcomb-Faye, Parkland varsity basketball coach, says all three players have the talent to play on the next level. He stated they were not heavily recruited along with not playing with big time AAU programs, so when Weavil reached out to him, it was a no brainer to mention his players.

“Coach Weavil has been doing this for a while and has good connections, so when he reached out to me, I said I had a few guys for him,” said Holcomb-Faye. “They went to the workout and played very well, and it’s an opportunity for them to play at the next level and further their education.”

Holcomb-Faye has high expectations for all three players and fully expects them to obtain scholarships to four-year institutions after their time is over at Littlejohn. He says they all have unique talents to bring to the table but feels they just need that exposure to let everyone else see them.

Wilkins, Reid and Berrow were on cloud nine after signing their letters. They stated they are excited for the challenges that await them on the next level.

“I am ready and focused and now is the time to step up to the plate,” said Berrow. “It feels good to have the chance to play on the next level and I feel blessed.”

Wilkins added, “I am ready to play and ready for the next level. I can’t wait to start work and work out and happy that we get the chance to play on another level.”

Both Wilkins and Berrow echoed the same thing when they stated it was an accomplishment to make it to this level but it was not the end goal. They stated they know they have to take “baby steps” to get to the place they want to be.

Wilkins and Berrow gave a lot of credit to the coaching staff at Parkland. They had a lot of faith their coach would do all he could to make it possible for all three young men to progress in their careers. The fact all three players are going to the same school adds another level of comfort for them as they move on.