03-16-2011, 10:26 PM
TAMPA, Fla. - Life as a former Top 50 recruit that has been relegated to cheerleader isnât the glamorous one young athletes certainly expect. Past accolades seem so much further away than just a year ago, a distant memory buried under self-doubt and confusion.
Stacey Poole doesnât expect you to feel sorry for him though, because he doesnât feel sorry for himself. On the contrary, he hopes what everyone sees is a young man willing to support his teammates and patiently wait for his moment in the sun.
As the freshman guard sat in Kentuckyâs locker room on the eve of the Catsâ first NCAA Tournament game he laughed freely with teammates and spoke honestly about a freshman season that surely hasnât been what he expected when he was rated the No. 33 player in the 2010 recruiting class by Rivals.com.
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âI enjoy this man and Iâm happy for these guys to be doing what they doing,â Poole said. âWeâre winning and Iâm going to keep being supportive and enthusiastic and keep a big smile on my face.â
Whereas some young men who are used to stardom sulk when adversity hits, Pole has done the opposite. He is often the first reserve to leap off the bench after a big play and almost without fail is the first guy to meet teammates as they come off the court for timeouts. Itâs also not uncommon to see the Jacksonville, Fla. native in the middle of the post-introductions huddle leading the Catsâ final pow-wow before tip.
Poole doesnât do it to score point with the coaching staff, but rather to show he understands this isnât just about him.
âItâs been important because Iâm not the type of guy when things are not going your way that Iâm going to hate on the other person,â Poole said. âI was a little down but Iâm not going to stay down. Iâve got to keep my head up. Iâm not going to lose my confidence, ever. Iâm still that Top 40 in the country guy that everyone saw.â
It hasnât been an easy road for Poole. The 6-foot-4 guard has played just 45 minutes all season and only four since Jan. 15. He has not dented any statistical column since grabbing a rebound in that Jan. 15 victory over LSU and has not logged more than four minutes since before New Yearâs.
All that said, Poole insisted heâs going to keep his eyes forward and work to be a part of the Catsâ rotation in the future.
âItâs easy to just stop working and lose confidence and not be into it but Iâm not that kind of guy,â Poole said. âIâm not going to let something like this ring me down that Iâve worked so hard for my entire life. Iâm not going to let a couple of months of adversity bring me down. Iâm going to keep my head up and keep my confidence.â
Stacey Poole doesnât expect you to feel sorry for him though, because he doesnât feel sorry for himself. On the contrary, he hopes what everyone sees is a young man willing to support his teammates and patiently wait for his moment in the sun.
As the freshman guard sat in Kentuckyâs locker room on the eve of the Catsâ first NCAA Tournament game he laughed freely with teammates and spoke honestly about a freshman season that surely hasnât been what he expected when he was rated the No. 33 player in the 2010 recruiting class by Rivals.com.
AdChoices
âI enjoy this man and Iâm happy for these guys to be doing what they doing,â Poole said. âWeâre winning and Iâm going to keep being supportive and enthusiastic and keep a big smile on my face.â
Whereas some young men who are used to stardom sulk when adversity hits, Pole has done the opposite. He is often the first reserve to leap off the bench after a big play and almost without fail is the first guy to meet teammates as they come off the court for timeouts. Itâs also not uncommon to see the Jacksonville, Fla. native in the middle of the post-introductions huddle leading the Catsâ final pow-wow before tip.
Poole doesnât do it to score point with the coaching staff, but rather to show he understands this isnât just about him.
âItâs been important because Iâm not the type of guy when things are not going your way that Iâm going to hate on the other person,â Poole said. âI was a little down but Iâm not going to stay down. Iâve got to keep my head up. Iâm not going to lose my confidence, ever. Iâm still that Top 40 in the country guy that everyone saw.â
It hasnât been an easy road for Poole. The 6-foot-4 guard has played just 45 minutes all season and only four since Jan. 15. He has not dented any statistical column since grabbing a rebound in that Jan. 15 victory over LSU and has not logged more than four minutes since before New Yearâs.
All that said, Poole insisted heâs going to keep his eyes forward and work to be a part of the Catsâ rotation in the future.
âItâs easy to just stop working and lose confidence and not be into it but Iâm not that kind of guy,â Poole said. âIâm not going to let something like this ring me down that Iâve worked so hard for my entire life. Iâm not going to let a couple of months of adversity bring me down. Iâm going to keep my head up and keep my confidence.â