The student news publication of Walnut Hills High School
Volume CXII, Issue 8
Friday February 16, 2018
Kameron Gib s on working hard on and off the court
HAYDEN WILLHITE/CHATTERBOX
SENIOR Kameron Gibson handles the ball in a home game against Milford on Feb. 9. WHHS won 51-37. Gibson scored 29 of the 51 points, resulting in one of his highest scoring games. He also had six rebounds and three assists. Hayden Willhite, ‘18 Playing a high school sport can have many benefits, such as improved academics, better time management and developing social relationships. High school can also be a time when playing a sport could be more difficult than others may see. SENIOR Kameron Gibson has gone through this experience for many years. Gibson started playing basketball in the first grade, and has now played basketball for twelve years. He is currently in his fourth year
playing for varsity at WHHS. Growing up, Gibson was encouraged to play basketball by his father, brother and uncle. “What encouraged me to play was my dad, uncle and brother who taught me the game and helped me become the player I am today,” Gibson said. Gibson also considers players in the National Basketball Association such as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony as inspiration to play basketball. Being a SENIOR at WHHS, it can be challenging to bal-
ance school, work and home. “It was difficult at first, because I wasn’t used to Walnut’s standards,” Gibson said. But over time he learned to adjust, and to further balance what he refers to as “ball and books.” While feeling the pressure from parents and coaches, Gibson puts in a lot of time and training on and off the court. “Time spent training and practicing would be countless hours in the gym, before and after school and at night,” Gibson said. Feeling the pressure can be over-
whelming for many. Having support from the administration can be a way to cope with the pressure of playing a high school sport. “WHHS administration supports me every time they see me,” Gibson said. WHHS administration always has Gibson’s back, whether it be on social media, in life, getting recognition or getting tips on the basketball court and in the classroom. Gibson is noticed as a top recruit in Ohio and recognized for many achievements. “A lot of pressure is caught on my shoul-
ders and I’m expected to do everything the right way,” Gibson said. Gibson has many offers from both Division one and two colleges, but is undecided as to where he would like to commit. In high school, many athletes like to set personal limits for themselves. “My personal limits are to be the greatest version of me I can be … basically fulfilling the potential that’s set out for me,” Gibson said. “I don’t care of what people think of me...I want to spread good vibes [and] positivity.”
WHHS coaches respond to racism in Cincinnati Aaron Espelage, ‘18 During an Elder vs. St. Xavier basketball game on Feb. 2, Elder’s student section chanted racist remarks directed at multiple St. X players. The chants ranged from stereotypes regarding an Asian player and African American player on St. X’s team to homophobic slurs. Our WHHS varsity mens and womens, head coaches were asked to weigh in. “I thought it was absolutely disgusting. And I was exceptionally taken back by the fact that they were chanting the term “faggot”. It’s baffling,” women’s varsity basketball coach Adam Lazar said. Mens varsity basketball coach Ricardo Hill echoed similar sentiments. “I just kept think-
ing about how the kid and his parents must feel when hearing that nonsense from the crowd. But I was glad to see that St. X’s coach alerted the referees immediately,” Hill said. Both Lazar and Hill have dealt with similar racially charged issues during road games. “We had an issue last year in Kentucky with officials being overtly racist,” Lazar said. “They called one of my assistant coaches a boy and then openly favored the [primarily-white] home team. I ended up getting ejected after I let them know I would not tolerate it. Then after the game we discussed how wrong it truly was with our kids and handled it internally.” Hill said, “We were playing a team in our league a couple years ago, when the
student section held up a whiteboard that singled out one of our kids. They wrote that he was an n-word. Everyone saw it and was outraged. After I alerted the officials, the board was erased and although it was immediately addressed, it was not publicized.” “There’s no excuse for administration not stepping in immediately,” Lazar said. “We as coaches must teach respect, diversity and the understanding of all cultures. And handle such issues as soon as they arise,” Hill said. Lazar and Hill both emphasized the importance of immediately denouncing the outbursts. “Unfortunately racism will never go away as it was one of the principles that this country was founded upon.” Lazar
said. “Americans view everything in the scope of race. Sadly, it’s the American way and it’s not going anywhere.” Hill said, “The real problem is hidden, systematic racism. And I can’t say that it’s going to disappear. We must address that with the way that parents, teachers and coaches raise their kids to perceive other cultures from an early age.” Lazar and Hill share the same vision of teaching kids cultural diversity to avoid the heinous actions that have taken place across multiple high school basketball games. The coaches hope that WHHS, a school rich with cultural diversity, can set the standard for other high schools to follow when it comes to handling blatant and systematic racism.