I think, like many sports fans, I have an immense appreciation, that borderlines pure envy, for athletes who were bestowed with an insurmountable God-given talent for their sport. A gift that has the potential to inspire millions and become a lucrative career. Though it can be said, “to whom much is given, much is [tested].”
It seems as if behind every successful athlete, there’s an even greater story of perseverance. This holds true for former Baylor Bears’ center Isaiah Austin. His first tale of tribulation came early in his basketball career. In middle school, he suffered an injury that caused him to be blind in his right eye. Austin adjusted to playing the game with half the vision of his peers, while maintaining full sight on his dream of playing professional basketball.
In high school, Austin was ranked as the number three player in the country and number one in Texas. He kept his eye injury a secret, fearing it would scare college scouts away. After a solid freshman season at Baylor, he had an uninhibited view on the NBA and declared for the draft. That vision was quickly clouded by a shoulder injury that put him back in Waco.
After his sophomore season, a seemingly healthy Austin gave up his final two years of eligibility and entered the 2014 NBA Draft. He was projected to be a late first round pick based on his two seasons with Bears and his performance at the NBA Draft Combine.
Four days before the draft, Austin’s story took a radical turn for the worse. Blood results from a physical came back positive for Marfan Syndrome, a disease that affects the connective tissues of the body. Doctors concluded that if Austin were to over exert himself, it could cause the already enlarged ventricles in his heart to rupture. At the moment of diagnosis, his competitive basketball career was over.
Austin adjusted to playing with one eye. He put his early NBA plans on hold due to a shoulder injury. Marfan Syndrome has no cure. This time, there’s no option for Austin acclimate.
In an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Austin said something that I think separates the overtly successful from the rest of us, “it’s not the end, it’s only the beginning.”
In my opinion, it’s the players who have been through the ringer who are destined to be the best. Not just in their sport, but in anything they choose to do. They have been taunted with failure and forced past their limits to beat defeat. They have had to work that much harder, and want something that much more to have excelled and become as magnificent as they are.
For a young man to have his aspirations obliterated that suddenly and still have a positive outlook on his new, uncertain future, speaks volumes. Isaiah Austin will continue to prove there are no obstacles too daunting for the tenacious dreamer.
It seems as if behind every successful athlete, there’s an even greater story of perseverance. This holds true for former Baylor Bears’ center Isaiah Austin. His first tale of tribulation came early in his basketball career. In middle school, he suffered an injury that caused him to be blind in his right eye. Austin adjusted to playing the game with half the vision of his peers, while maintaining full sight on his dream of playing professional basketball.
In high school, Austin was ranked as the number three player in the country and number one in Texas. He kept his eye injury a secret, fearing it would scare college scouts away. After a solid freshman season at Baylor, he had an uninhibited view on the NBA and declared for the draft. That vision was quickly clouded by a shoulder injury that put him back in Waco.
After his sophomore season, a seemingly healthy Austin gave up his final two years of eligibility and entered the 2014 NBA Draft. He was projected to be a late first round pick based on his two seasons with Bears and his performance at the NBA Draft Combine.
Four days before the draft, Austin’s story took a radical turn for the worse. Blood results from a physical came back positive for Marfan Syndrome, a disease that affects the connective tissues of the body. Doctors concluded that if Austin were to over exert himself, it could cause the already enlarged ventricles in his heart to rupture. At the moment of diagnosis, his competitive basketball career was over.
Austin adjusted to playing with one eye. He put his early NBA plans on hold due to a shoulder injury. Marfan Syndrome has no cure. This time, there’s no option for Austin acclimate.
In an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Austin said something that I think separates the overtly successful from the rest of us, “it’s not the end, it’s only the beginning.”
In my opinion, it’s the players who have been through the ringer who are destined to be the best. Not just in their sport, but in anything they choose to do. They have been taunted with failure and forced past their limits to beat defeat. They have had to work that much harder, and want something that much more to have excelled and become as magnificent as they are.
For a young man to have his aspirations obliterated that suddenly and still have a positive outlook on his new, uncertain future, speaks volumes. Isaiah Austin will continue to prove there are no obstacles too daunting for the tenacious dreamer.