GET TO KNOW LOUIS COX

I met Louis Cox when he went played basketball at Minneapolis Patrick Henry High School, from where he graduated in 2010. Cox was born March 19, 1992 in Chicago, Ill. He has been away from the game of basketball for a while. I was able to talk to him on the phone and I was also able to set up an email interview with him as he told me that he was wanting to get back on the basketball court and play ball.

 

He has four sisters and two brothers. Cox has played basketball his whole life. Cox believes that basketball is a tool for success in people and it is an escape when things are going wrong. He feels that the court is his safe place.  

 

I asked him to explain what basketball meant to him. He said, “Basketball is what my life consists of on a day-to-day basis. Basketball is my way to give back to my community. It’s my way out of frustration and a way to clear to my mind. When all seems to fall, basketball is always in my corner. Basketball keeps me determined to take care of my family, so when you ask what basketball means to me, I say it means life or death.

 

Cox said his summer has consisted of “Lifting weights, working out, trying to run a mile every day, and getting up shots until my wrist is numb and my arms hurt every day.”

 

Cox gave up playing football at a young age because he wanted to start focusing on playing basketball. He hopes that he can get onto a major team and be successful on and off the floor.

 

Cox does not know where he is going to be going to be going to school this season. He plans on staying in the gym and working on his game.

 

I asked him to tell me a little bit about himself.

 

“I come from a family that knows nothing about being wealthy or rich, I have been playing basketball since I was in the third grade and I always felt that I could use basketball as a way out of this life. After all of these years playing basketball, I am finally starting to realize that it isn’t about the money as much as it used to be, it’s about doing what you love to do so it wouldn’t seem like work. I am going to school for business management when I return this fall. I am dedicated to giving all my when I am on the court. Last July, I lost one of the closest people to me -- Jordan Hughes -- and for a moment I was lost and didn’t know where to turn. After talking to some family members and having meetings with my old high school coaches Larry McKenzie, Jerry Williams, and Yusuf Abdullah, I finally understood that I had to use this loss as a focus.I am still need of a chance to play on someone’s basketball team. So I continue to work hard every day, and when my chance comes to showcase my talent I will be ready.”

 

In his free time you can find Cox, “Watching NBA summer league games, studying players like Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Jamal Crawford, Deron Williams, and many other players in the league mixtapes all while I’m icing my body, and getting massages after a tough workout.”

 

You can find Cox on Facebook and you can also follow him on Twitter @RhastaLou.

 

I have known Cox for years. He is a bright young man who is fun to be around. He would be a valuable player for any team that he would play for.