OTM Spotlight: Austin Lin

Austin working on his handles!

My name is Austin Lin and I am a junior playing for Sage Hill School’s basketball program. Though I managed to secure a spot on the Junior Varsity team last year, my lack of experience compared to the rest of the players as well as my impulsiveness prevented me from reaching the next level. Though I have undoubtedly improved during these past two years at Sage Hill, I was still unsatisfied with my current position in the program. As a result, I felt it was necessary to intensify my training for basketball in order to gain positive recognition from the coaches.

Throughout this summer, I started training with Coach Mike because I aspire to move up to the varsity team at Sage Hill School. Though it was rigorous and demanding at first, I improved my shooting, ball-handling, and finishing ability exponentially. As spots on the varsity team are limited and competition is fierce, Coach Mike and I decided to schedule skills training three times a week in addition to independent daily workouts. During my sessions with Coach Mike, we prioritized improving my shooting and pump fakes, which are essential tools for a small guard like myself. At home, I would practice my ball-handling and shooting, on top of doing push-ups, sit-ups, and squats for strength training. Initially, it was difficult waking up early three times a week because I am used to sleeping in, but over time I became used to our morning sessions.

Moreover, I found it hard to manage my schedules because I was involved in summer school as well as an internship. Despite this, I managed to organize time for workouts and I could feel my strength and skills gradually improve. These past two months have shown me firsthand the joyous payoff of hard work and sparked in me a determination to succeed. I have worked harder than ever before to hone my skills and I have no doubt my efforts won’t go unnoticed.