Student athlete Kavouhn Lewars-Smith shines in Basketball F U N F A C T S

“O NE OF my friends actually convinced me to start playing basketball” It was a fellow teammate, Khari Lawrence, who introduced Kavouhn Lewars-Smith of Ardenne to the sport in 2014. “He kept saying, ‘C’mon, try it out’, and so at lunch time we would play hustle on the court. One day, coach saw me and said I should come to training.” Little did Lewars-Smith know that just one year after he started, he would help the team come second in the ISSA All-Island Under-19 Championship.

Now the 18-year-old, deputy head boy of Ardenne is entering his third year playing basketball. When asked what some of the keys to success are for basketball, the Ardennite responded: “Practice, practice, practice, practice, and then more practice”. He explained that almost every sport will require training, but with basketball it is even more apparent. “Even if you get a move on the first try, that does not mean you have mastered it. You have to keep at it and stay focusedonsuccess through repetition,” said Lewars-Smith. It is this philosophy of constant training and practice that Lewars-Smith thinks has taught him valuable life lessons.

Lewars-Smith also does parkour with his brother’s company Joeka Productions. I have found their videos to be quite thrilling. Check out Joeka Productions on YouTube.

Basketball helps me to relate to life,” said Lewars-Smith. He then expounded by saying that if you give up in training, then you are likely to give up in the match – which is a similar concept in life. “Things do not come easy. If you do not put in the work, then you will not get anything out of it,” said LewarsSmith. It seems that in addition to teaching him how to score the winning shot, basketball has also taught him to work hard for anything he deems worthwhile.

Not only has the sport itself taught Lewars-Smith life lessons, but so has his coach, Mr Barnett. “Coach always says this phrase – ‘Never die’,” stated Lewars-Smith. When asked what this means, he stated that Mr Barnett is referring to the attitude the team should have under match conditions. If the team is behind, then they must work to get ahead. If the team is ahead, then they must work to stay ahead ... never die.

As a student athlete, it is always a task to figure out the right balance between sports and academics. However, Lewars-Smith has found his own method. “I have this little trick where I focus in class so that when I am reviewing later, it is much easier,” said LewarsSmith. As soon as he comes home after training, he goes right into his routine: eat, bathe, do homework, and prep for the next school day. In addition to this routine, LewarsSmith also draws support from his girlfriend, Jessica. “She is my biggest supporter. Jessica will encourage me to train when I am sore and come to my games to cheer for me,” said Kavouhn with much admiration.

Lewars-Smith’s personal motto is ‘Just keep swimming’. He says this originated at a point in his life where he was going through a rough patch, but he remembered a scene from the movie Finding Nemo. He lamented that even if what you are doing seems useless now, it will help at some point in the future.

Going forward, Lewars-Smith hopes to win the ISSA AllIsland Under-19 Championship with his team this year. Having come second two years before, the team is now looking for the top spot.

‘Things

do not come easy. If you do not put in the work, then you will not get anything out of it.