By Noah Elam
Akintola Akinniyi, a senior at Guyer High School, better known as AK, was interviewed last week about his legacy at the power forward position for the Varsity basketball team. He has a few offers from colleges for his outstanding performance this season. AK has not yet made his decision on where he is going, but he plans to share the news as soon as he commits.
AK started basketball at the age of five. Growing up he used to practice with his older sister, and that got him to have an ambition to play. His sister was a star on the Varsity girls basketball team during her highschool years. Akintola got on the varsity team while being a sophomore and he dominated the competition. A multitude of teammates considered AK the leader of the team during the past three years. Some players have looked up to him as a role model.
Coach Long’s passion, great practice technique, and discipline, as well as the team members chemistry led Guyer to a great successful season. AK mentioned that If it wasn’t for Coach Long driving him to the right directions, he would not have been able to get to where he is today.
This season, the team got a place in the playoffs, after 21 wins. They lost to a tough plano opponent, but they never stopped fighting. Akintola feels confident about his performance and he is happy to graduate with seventeen points, eight rebounds, and four successful assists. This competitive record is a great asset for college basketball recruiters.
AK wants to make a career in basketball and when he graduates he hopes to return to Guyer as a coach,”If that’s what I want to do to get back to the game, then I think Guyer would be the perfect place to start.” AK said. He also talked about his teammates. ”I loved playing with Connor, he and I have a great connection and chemistry,” AK added.
Family is AK’s force to be driven to work hard everyday and pursue his goal to play at a higher level. He frequently stays up after school to practice for five hours to get in shape and evolve his game. His favorite moments as part of the Guyer program were the bus rides, back and forth to the games. “The rap battles at the back of the bus were a lot of fun,” he shared.
The basketball team has six seniors that will be exiting the program at the end of the school year. AK’s time at Guyer high school is over. He is a very beloved player and will be missed when he is gone. The coaches and teammates hope he has great success in his college life.