PAC Student Signs With Hiwassee College

By John Libby

Drew Jefferson, a sophomore at Palo Alto College, has just signed his letter of intent to attend Hiwassee College in Madisonville, TN in the fall of 2010. After a recent campus visit and workout with the basketball team, Drew was offered a partial scholarship to attend and play basketball for the Hiwassee College Tigers.

Drew is a 2007 graduate of East Central High School and has played for the Palo Alto Palominos for the last two years. While studying Kinesiology at PAC, Drew has continued to work on his skills as a point guard and is proof that hard work does pay off. His GPA and his athleticism has earned him enough scholarship money to almost completely pay for his schooling next year.

When asked why he chose Hiwassee College, Drew replied, “Coach Jones stayed in constant contact with me throughout the year, and after my visit, he and the team we very welcoming. I knew I had found a place to continue my education and play ball.”

Drew is no stranger to dealing with adversity. Standing a whopping 5’5”, you would think he may have chosen another sport. “I have always had a passion for the game” said Drew. “I look at guys like Spud Webb and Nate Robinson and say to myself, if they can go pro at their size, I can at least play college ball.”

Drew described his time at PAC as a great humbling and learning experience. “When I first came to PAC, I thought I was ready for the big time, but I quickly realized that I had lots to learn before going on the university.”

“Academically, the teachers here were awesome. They showed me the importance of caring about my grades and that if I take ownership of them, I can make them as high as I want them to be.”

When asked about his time playing at PAC, Drew said, “Coach Libby helped me realize that although I wasn’t ready yet, if I believed and worked hard enough, anything was possible. He always said as long as I stayed mentally focused and remained positive, then the outcome could only be positive. He pushed be to be the best I could be and allowed me to blossom first as a student and then as an athlete.”

Drew has plans to complete his Bachelors’ Degree while at Hiwassee College and play basketball as long as he can. “One thing I learned at PAC was that my mind will last longer than my legs” said Drew. Once basketball is over and a degree in hand, Drew hopes to enter the world of coaching and share his passion and work ethic to some very lucky future student-athletes.