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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2010 > December > 17 > Entry
Keontae Brown rewind
The following is an interview with Dunbar H.S. senior basketball player Keontae Brown for the stories “Prep career blooms late” and “Brown takes his last shot with Wolverines tradition.”
My head is focused on just getting out of Dayton. Coach Renaldo (O’Neal) always reminds me of that.
People look at me different now. I know of plenty of people who did stuff, but they didn’t get noticed like that because they’re not playing sports or doing the stuff that I’m doing with this school now.
People hear one thing and that’s what they judge me by, but it’s not really like that. I just made a bad choice.
It was a wake up call. It really was. It gave me some time just to sit down and think about my life and the bigger picture. I was doing stuff to impress other people who didn’t really care about my well being. I was hurting my family and my teammates not being there my sophomore year. We had a chance to go far and couldn’t because I wasn’t there.
I came to a lot of the games. Knowing that I should have been out there, I was disappointed in myself. It hurt because I was supposed to be out there doing the same thing that they’re doing, winning (state).
I know what to do now so I won’t have to go down that path so I won’t be watching from the sideline.
My mindset now is entirely different. I don’t even think the same way that I used to. I tell everybody on the team, I can’t settle for nothing less than a state ring. That’s my mindset.
We really don’t have our chemistry together yet, but the last four games we’ve really started to work better as a team. I don’t care who we play, I’m going to play my game regardless and do what we have to do to get us a victory.
People will say, ‘Are you TuTu,?’ I’ll say, ‘No, I’m Keontae.’ Most people don’t even know that my dad is TuTu. When I was younger, I used to use that to get out of trouble. It was like I could get away with stuff just because of who my dad was. I can’t do that now.
I know that he had his jersey retired and all that. When I was getting in trouble, I was embarrassing his name. I just thought, I can’t keep doing this.
Through everything, my dad has always been the one there for me. He never left me. He was always that one person who was always there that I could count on.
My GPA is 3.5 … Grades have never been a problem for me. It’s been my actions. I’ve just got to stay mentally focused.
Childhood friends: Gary Akbar, Roger Williamson, Deontae Hawkins … RJ and Hawkins are cousins. … also Shawn Fleming.
Gary and I would talk every night and tell me just to stay focused. RJ is like a mentor to me. He keeps it real for me. … They mean a lot to me; they’re all like brothers to me.
Comments
By Kenneth Payne
December 17, 2010 3:47 PM | Link to this
Keontae, Stay focused young man!! Roger and Deontae are my young cousins who I admire for their focus and outlook on life. Put your goals out there and strive to accomplish them.
By James Wolfe
December 18, 2010 10:36 AM | Link to this
Keontae people make poor choices what is more important is how they recover from those choices. Right now you’re living and proving that not only to others but yourself. Keep it up we all need examples of how people can turn things around in their lives.
By Keontae Brown
December 19, 2010 12:37 AM | Link to this
Thanks to everyone who that has my backing.
By Franky Cooper
December 21, 2010 11:38 AM | Link to this
Keontae, I’m so proud of you! Remember when I gave you some difficult projects to complete in art class and you didn’t think you could be successful? Well, you did them well and surprised yourself. I know you are going to be successful in your career! You are going to surprise yourself and everybody who cares about you. God Bless You!
By Bry'ona Napier
January 2, 2011 10:44 AM | Link to this
Keep it up Keontae, we’re all rooting for you!
By oh oh
May 4, 2011 10:32 AM | Link to this
Keontae fought the law and the law won!