KENOSHA, Wis. — Seventeen-year-old Samuel Jennings Jr. has loved the game of basketball for as long as he can remember.
"Ever since I was a little kid, probably like two or three years old, I always had a ball in my hand," said Jennings.
Watching him on the basketball court now, he plays with confidence and drive. But two years ago, it was a completely different story.
"Everyone was saying I was bad at basketball, I was never that good," he said.
During his sophomore year at Christian Life School, Jennings weighed 310 pounds. He says his weight not only affected his ability to play basketball, but it took a toll on his mental health.
"Looking at myself in the mirror back then I used to hate myself," he shared.
Determined to make a change, Jennings spent the next two years sharpening his ball-playing skills and getting into shape.
"I was so dedicated. I would wake up at four in the morning, go to the gym by myself, I would go and run hills with my trainer, and then I would go right back to the gym," he said.
Now 115 pounds lighter, Jennings was not only healthier, but his talent for playing basketball grew. He went from averaging a dozen or fewer points a game to 20 to 30 points.
"The sky is the limit for him. I believed in him. I saw it, I saw the talent," said head basketball coach Duke Montgomery.
After achieving his first goal of losing weight, Jennings had one final goal he wanted to complete before he graduates this year from Christian Life, which is made up of primarily white students... To become the school's first Black student-athlete to score their 1,000th career point.
On Feb. 3 during a game against Lake Country Lutheran, Jennings did just that.
"I'm grateful I hit it, like all blessings to God," said Jennings. "There's a lot of stuff I thought I couldn't do but it's slowly happening. Sorry, I'm starting to get choked up here."
Now, he wants to serve as an example for other Black kids to know that they too can achieve great things.
"Every Black kid has worth. Don't get down on yourself, stay positive," said Jennings. "There may be people in the background talking about you but you just got to keep going."
Jennings says after graduating this year, he hopes to one day make it to the NBA and give back to his family, his school, and the community he grew up in.
