There are 100 ways to skin a cat. It takes  a village to raise a basketball player. Hard work beats talent everytime . You’ve heard all the cliché’s when it comes to sports. Well I found out there is not 100 ways to skin a cat. I found out there are some real shitty villages out there. And most importantly hard work does not always beat talent. What I have  discovered is showing up and knowing what is needed is more important than any thing. It’s why these days ’29 Natalie Whitehead is starting to look like a future star in the Shore Conference one day.

NATALIE WHITEHEAD two years ago was just like a lot young players. She was searching for the right formula to become a better basketball player. She was not one of the best players in the  “STACKED” ’29 class at the time. So she did one of the hardest things to do in sports. She “SHOWED UP EVERYDAY”. You see Natalie Whitehead is the first player in the gym everyday. Not once in a while, no everyday. When see doesn’t have school she gets to the gym early or calls and ask for a private training  session. Then stays all day after the session. She doesn’t brag or tell others about her grind in the dark when no one is  around. She doesn’t tell you that she got up at 7 in the morning 5 days a week to shoot and work out during D1 pickup this summer. These are not easy things for a 12 year old to do. You see NATALIE WHITEHEAD knows the right formula. It starts with not being like everyone else and following the crowd. When there is training at the Hoop group she is there everyday. She never leaves early and never has an excuse to why she missed. She just shows up, like she does for camp in the summer. Most kids and their parents think they are doing a good job in the summer. They come to camp a few weeks. Miss a few days or skip a week or two. The because the beach comes calling, vacations come calling, family comes calling and sometimes just being a normal kid comes calling. It’s all part of the process of raising a well balanced normal kid. Natalie Whitehead has no interest in being normal. It’s the reason, she doesn’t answer these calls. That’s why she always shows up. She is her age groups new Justine Pissott, Madison St. Rose, Nina Emnace, the Liggio sisters. You know those kids who are on a mission and always showed  up. It’s a gift the great ones have and NATALIE WHITEHEAD has that gift too!!

These days Natalie Whitehead is a bucket. She has that offensive package and swag you can’t teach. But rather the one a kid has to work to get. It’s why  her confidence level is off the charts. She can give it to you anyway you want it. You want deep threes?  You got it. You want crafty rim finishing  drives?  No problem. You want the mid range game? She’s your solution. Natalie Whitehead has the most conpetle offensive game  you will see from a 8th grader entering the Shore next year. She can flat out  score and she can score against anyone. While most of the  grammar school kids at NBS struggle against the older, bigger, stronger D1 talent. Natalie Whitehead, acts like she is going for a walk in the park. She dominates and wins her 1 v  1…she cooks in the 2 v 2 … and shines like a bright light in 3 v 3…oh yeah, did I tell you she shows up at game time? She is no drill master, Natalie Whitehead goes to work when they toss the ball up. See we call this game over the hype!

While other kids are playing games year round, making excuses and showing up most of the time. Natalie Whitehead is showing  up all of  the time. . She has gone from an afterthought to a big concern with a big game.  These days she is as good as any player in her class. She has quietly emerged into a dynamic player. The scary part is she is still physically a baby. Can you imagine her in 4 years, when her body arrives? Good lord, just thought should have college coaches drooling. These days Natalie Whitehead looks like she is on her to being one of the special ones. Sometime in the near future you will read NATALIE WHITEHEAD scores her 1000th point, Natalie Whitehead is named ALL SHORE. Then you will read NATALIE WHITEHEAD accepts D1 scholarship. I may know a few things about such matters. See it all start with that all important improvement curve and hers is  meteoric. NATALIE WHITEHEAD has found the formula, she knows about showing up and it’s what separates her…and MAKES HER DIFFERENT THAN THE REST!