On February 18, seniors Jayden Fields and Amare Cooke take the court for the last time in the regular season.

Looking back at four years of hustle, both players have some heavy advice for the freshmen coming up behind them. Amare reflected on the level of work required to stay on top of your game, “I would tell my younger self that spending time on both sports is hard asl and the coach is gonna expect your max effort out of both, so grinding out harder than everyone else is expected because being a multi-sport athlete is gonna be hard.”

For Jayden, the message was more about staying the course and not rushing the results: “I’d tell my younger self to be patient and trust the process. Early on, I was so focused on proving myself right away that I didn’t always appreciate the small improvements happening every day.”

While the season might be ending, the impact of being on this team isn’t something that fades with the final buzzer. For these seniors, the brotherhood and the discipline are what they’re taking with them.

Amare highlighted the connection in the locker room, noting, “I learned the brotherhood is very strong. We may bump heads at times or not like each other, but the brotherhood is never forgotten, and we all have a strong bond with one another, which makes basketball easier to play.”

Jayden walked away with a lesson in what it means to be a professional on and off the court: “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is accountability—showing up for your teammates every day, even when things aren’t going your way.”

As they prepare for their last game, both players wanted to make sure the people who held them down got their flowers. Amare shared a memory of the grind that started at home, “Me and my brother always use to bump heads when it comes to basketball because that was his sport… we would play for hours even when my hands are about to literally fall off we still be outside hooping for sunrise to when it’s a full moon outside so I like to thank him for that. To my beautiful parents… they were always there to support me even when I did bad through the ups and downs.”

Jayden also pointed to his family and coaches as the reason he’s standing here today: “First, my family—they’ve been my foundation from day one, supporting me through every high and low. My coaches for believing in me and pushing me to be better than I thought I could be. And my teammates past and present for trusting me.”