Sophia Memon, this week gave a verbal commitment to Dickinson College. On the Surface it may look like another talented kid getting a chance to play in college. But there is a bigger story if your willing to look deeper. It’s a story of a player who stayed the course with open ears and eyes. The result is DICKINSON COLLEGE and SOPHIA MEMON joining forces.
The first time I saw Sophia Memon play, I fell in love with her game. Not because of her jump shot, rebounding or defense. I feel in love with her effort and fearless style of play. She is not a gifted athlete. But she was gifted with the heart of a lion, a warrior… a winner. And I am not talking about winning from a basketball point of view. I’m talking about the real stuff. The stuff that truly matters. The stuff that defines who a kid truly is. Sophia Memon give you every drop of sweat on and off the court. She fights tooth and nail the moment the ball is tossed. But when the ball stops bouncing is when you get to understand what Sophia Memon represents.. she becomes a friend and somebody who respects the game and opponents. She understands sportsmanship, she gets the games is about doing battle. But she also understands the game is about relationships and and relationships is why Sophia Memon finds herself off to Dickinson College.
Dickinson College I can assure you has no idea what they just did. They may be excited to have a 6’0” warrior in there uniform. But what they are going to find out is this.. Sophia Memon plays much bigger than 6’0”. They know she is a great defender and rebounder. What I doubt they know, her defense is based on her ability to talk and lead from the back line while being the ultimate weakside eraser. Her shot blocking ability is special. They may know Sophia can score on the box and shoot the open jumper. But I guarantee they don’t know she has maybe the best offense dive, first step from 15 ft than any true big in the shore conference. She has all these things because Sophia Memon has been very lucky. She just may be the product of some of the best coaching a kid could pray for…SOPHIA MEMON HAS BEEN COACHED UP.
Justine McGhee is the head coach at Middletown North. He doesn’t get the blue bloods walking through the door. Destiny Adams and the Justine Pissott’s of the world don’t attend Middletown North. So Coach McGhee has to create those players. A verision of those type players. He has to do it with mirrors and tricks. Then he has to get the players to buy in. Then create an atmosphere that kids and parents can live in. Coach McGhee has done exactly that. I can tell you he is one of the best coaches these eyes has seen. Watching his teams play give me real hope about the future. Coach McGhee embraces the challenge of doing more with less. It’s exactly what he has taught Sophia Memon, do more with less. She has proved him to be a Genius because nobody does more with less than Sophia Memon. Dickinson College is getting a kid who already knows how to work and embrace coaching… they are getting a kid who is totally prepared for the next level.. coaching matters!
John Truhan, is the king of building programs. He is one of the best coaches in girls basketball history. No coach boys or girls can say they took as many programs out of the trash can and made then not just relevant but powerhouses. He has taken the programs nobody in there right mind would touch and make them powerhouses. John Truhan, loves a challenge. It’s also why he took a NJ BELLES TEAM of no names and made them matter. Almost the entire team is off to play in college. You see John Truhan knows what he is doing. He first put his Belles in the right AAU tournaments for exposure. Next he hid there weakness from colleges and showcased there strengths. Then he added a little something to his players games. Some mental and some physical. In the case of Sophia Memon, he showed her the value of passing and getting to the rim off the bounce. He encouraged her to develop a 18 ft jumper. Together Sophia and Coach Truhan have done some big things together. None bigger than Sophia’s development and growth as a player. Sophia has been lucky. But she also did something more kids should think about… TAKING ADVANTAGE OF GREAT COACHING
So now Sophia Memon can settle into her high school season. She has some unfinished business to take care of at Middletown North. She has watched there program gain respect. They are no longer a laughing stock around Shore Basketball. Now opponents know they will have to fight for their life when playing North. But that may not be enough for Sophia this year. She may want more and guess what.. that should not be a surprise.. because Sophia Memon has always given more… CONGRATULATIONS TO A GREAT KID AND FAMILY… DICKINSON COLLEGE STOLE ONE!
