This Week We Feature Young Professional Leslee J. Smith
The name Leslee J. Smith is no strange one in the Virgin Islands especially to those basketball lovers and persons who are keen on following the progress of locals who reside overseas. We see and hear of him ever so often in the local and international news as he continues on the upward thrust in the sport of basketball.
Leslee is a young Virgin Islander whose future in the sport of basketball is one that is very promising. Today he is home and sat with Virgin Islands News Online to share his progress to date and the other side of him which is not very well known by most.
He was very quick to note that since returning home he was very impressed with the progress that he has seen in sports generally. “I feel like we are making a big leap, I feel that we can get a lot further but it takes everybody to chip in,” said our Young Professional Mr Leslee J. Smith.
He also pleaded to those in authority including government to give a little more into the sport of basketball stating that there is a lot of talent among locals. “The kids don’t have enough motivation and when [they] lose that they would also lose the motivation in education generally so the high powers need to do some more to save our youths,” he said very emotionally.
“I am the type of person who likes to know that I can do things to make others happy. I like to know that I am pleasing people, I know that you can’t please everyone at the same time but it’s my heart to please people and make them happy,” he told us.
Leslee is the son of Ms Annetta Penn and Leslie E. Smith. He grew up in the East End/ Long Look community on Tortola. From the days of boyhood he was well into sports but decided to lean more towards basketball firmly from the age of thirteen years.
“I played a lot more of other sports like baseball, volleyball but I just really fell in love with basketball and over the years I just got better and better in basketball and it just took me from here and give me a lot of opportunities to have a good education at a great school,” he recalled.
Today he is at college attending the University of Nebraska and a leading member of the basketball team ‘Huskers’.
One thing that he is very disciplined about is his commitment to attaining the highest possible level of education. He currently holds a degree in General Science and is currently pursuing studies in Sociology for which he is reading for a bachelor’s degree.
“My ultimate career dream is to become a professional sports trainer so when I am done with my bachelors in sociology I will be coming back to take on studies at the highest possible level in basketball training,” he said.
He told us that there was a stage in life where he had doubts about him living his dreams but it took the support and push of some persons to help him realize that ‘Yes I can’. “I had doubts until I met some people and they say you know we can help you. All I had was the dedication and they give me the push and today I am where I am at and I am most thankful for the push I got in life from people who believed in me while I doubted me.”
As a result, today he is playing in THE biggest conference. “The big 10 conference, it’s the best conference in basketball right now. So just me being able to play against that kind of competition, putting my name out there and just representing the BVI, it’s the biggest accomplishment for me individually.”
While he is pleased with his personal stride thus far he recognizes that getting to the stage he is at took a strong team effort. “Our team is the first team to make it to the NCAA tournament in many years. So that was a big accomplishment for us as a team,” he said.
Taking away basketball playing from him would not be enough to isolate him from the game. He told this news site that despite what his biggest dream is to continue with basketball but if not playing, being an inspiration in sports training. “A lot of people want me to make it to the NBA. That’s a lot of pressure but if I can do it I will but if I don’t make it to that stage I would try to help the next guy. I would not be a selfish person and come down and say if I didn’t make it nobody else shouldn’t.”
When he is not around his basketball, you can sure to find him spending as much time as possible with his close relatives and other family members. “I rarely get to see them. So I am usually looking forward to coming home. I rather spend my three weeks with them not doing any work out. I cherish the time I get to come home and be among my people.”
The other thing is that he is the type of guy that loves to shop and that’s not restricted to just for himself, he generally loves shopping. Put him out there and he would shop the world under. “Look at me and you may not see it but get to know me and you will see that I am a people pleaser,” said our young professional.
His advice to youths, “Whatever you want to do in life don’t feel that it’s not possible. We might be on a small island but you never know who may have connections somewhere. You might just happen to be at a place and meet someone and in chatting they see your dream and might just be the person to give you that push.”
“Keep an open mind to whatever you want to do and try to pursue it as best as you can. Help will come, the support will come just be true to what you want to do and be open about it.”
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