Many adolescents are told to follow their dreams. For one man his dream was to be a professional basketball player, but he faced many obstacles before he reached his goal.
Deon Lyle grew up in Hastings, Nebraska; he was the second youngest in a family of six. Deon was very active as a child. He was always playing sports, though he mainly focused on basketball whenever he had a chance. He attended Hastings High School for roughly three years, though he admits he didn’t pay too much attention in class. He ended up getting expelled from Hastings High, but got another opportunity in Kansas to pursue his education.
“Kansas was just right for me. I already thought Hastings was small with 20,000 people or so but Norton (KS) had roughly 300 students,” Lyle said.
After his senior year of high school, he didn’t get any scholarships, so he took the junior college route. Deon continued to break records as he did at Norton High School and finally his hard work paid off when he was contacted by The University of Texas at San Antonio.
“I went on a visit to UTSA around spring break and knew it was for me,” Lyle said.
Lyle and the coach at UTSA didn’t see eye to eye so he asked for his release and soon he was contacted to join the Junior Basketball Association. At that moment, he knew his journey was just starting.
“At times it gets hard but I’ve never been a quitter and I’m going to stick to it until the end. I’ve recently met a lot of important people that will help me in my future. I just met Kanye West,” Lyle said.
When his career started, he became a JBA All-Star and was able to travel a whole lot.
“It’s a dream come true being able to travel the world and play basketball. All over Europe, I’ve been to Germany, Russia, Lithuania, Denmark and the list goes on. China is the next leg on this tour!” said Lyle.
Lyle actively shows that he is and will always be proud to represent Hastings, Nebraska.
“I have a lot of love for my hometown, 402 is tatted on me forever!” said Lyle.
