North Lawndale College Prep has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success on the basketball court in recent years. The reigning city champs are loaded with talented players, and they’ve also got a few talented scholars in the mix as well.
North Lawndale College Prep has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success on the basketball court in recent years. The reigning city champs are loaded with talented players, and they’ve also got a few talented scholars in the mix as well.
Brothers Stephen and Brandon Thorpe are the best students on the team and they take a lot of pride in their academic success. It’s not easy balancing studies and athletics and it takes a lot of effort to practice every day, play games many nights, and also do schoolwork. It taxes the mind and body, but it’s the mental part that’s the toughest to overcome says the younger brother, Brandon, a 16-year-old junior guard.
“I’ve got good time management and I’ve got my priorities straight. I make sure I do my homework first. After basketball practice it doesn’t matter how late it is, I make sure I get all my homework done,” said Brandon, who has a 4.5 GPA.
The nights can be long, but 18-year-old Stephen (3.8 GPA) won’t rest until his homework is complete.
“I’ve had many long nights (sometimes until 2:00 a.m.),” said Stephen. “I don’t even feel comfortable going to sleep without having my homework done. I make sure my work gets done no matter how long it takes.” The fatigue the student/athlete endures can be a factor on the court as well, but Brandon has made the mental adjustment to deal with it the best he can.
“When I play basketball I try not to think about it. I just put all my academic problems in my rearview and just play my heart out.” he said.
Both brothers have concrete ideas about attending college – they both want to play ball and study at a quality institution, and they’re looking mostly at schools out of the state. The basketball team recently traveled to Mesa, Arizona and the southwest left a positive impression on Brandon.
“They’ve got a beautiful environment there. In Chicago you walk down the street and see a bunch of trash and people standing on street corners,” he said. “In Arizona the houses are kept up. It’s just a lot cleaner and it looks really nice.”
Being a good student in the classroom helps on the basketball court as well. Stephen plays point guard and being a thinker is critical to making good decisions.
“Basketball is about IQ,” Stephen said. “If you’re smart in school and get good grades you think about the game better. Some people just play the game but people that think things through are usually better.”
Of course not all prep athletes end up being standout students. The Thorpe brothers realize this fact, but what they can’t swallow is a lack of effort in the classroom that results in ineligibility for a teammate.
“It really disappoints me. I work hard and when I see them not working hard it makes me mad. They’re messing up their future. If you don’t have your grades you can’t play basketball in college anyway. So you have to get your grades before anything,” said Stephen. “If you can’t make it in high school, you’re definitely not going to make it in college.”
Stephen and Brandon also have an idea why public school athletes have a tougher time keeping their grades up than their suburban counterparts. Brandon thinks the large number of high schools in the same area is a problem.
“There are so many schools and people all around,” he said. “It’s crowded and there’s too much action. In the suburbs the schools are isolated and you only know your own student body.”
Stephen also thinks that city environment can be a distraction – but only if you let it.
“I think it’s the environment that you’re around. Some people get affected by it real easily. They’ve got a lot of things going on around them and they don’t have their priorities right. Some put the streets first, some put the girls first. You just have to stay focused.”
Stephen and Brandon will get a chance to display their skills when No. 6 North Lawndale plays No. 2 ranked Whitney Young Wednesday. Young is coming off their first two losses of the season, and NLCP is coming off of an impressive overtime win against Crete-Monee. The game will be televised on MeTV at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday.