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The Banning Lewis boys basketball team finished third place in last years 3A state tournament, then graduated some key players from that squad. Lucky enough for the Stallions, Matthew Lebron was looking for a new home, and he found his place with Banning Lewis.
The Stallions welcomed Lebron with open arms, accepting him into the program and allowing him to become one of the leaders on the team. He’s fit into their style of play, and it's reflected in his stats. Through the first ten games of the season, he is averaging nearly 24 points, three assists, and four steals.
Stallions’ head coach Wes McKenzie describes Matthew as a “coaches dream” because of his toughness, competitiveness, selflessness, and maturity. Although McKenzie has only been able to coach him since the summer, he says you can tell the love Lebron has for the game just by watching him play.
In the fourth grade, Lebron decided he wanted to take basketball more serious because of his experience in a blowout loss.
“(I) went to Oklahoma and played Team Griffin, which is Blake Griffin’s AAU team. (We) got destroyed by 40 and it woke me up. I just noticed you have to outwork everybody and the work is going to show,” said Lebron.
That turned out to be a mindset that Lebron has learned to live by. During the summer, he is committed to three workouts per day, which include a mix of shooting drills and lifting weights. His shooting workout is determined by the number of shots he makes, rather than the number of shots he attempts. By the end of the day, he usually has a few hundred made baskets.
His hard work is continuing to pay off as he has recently made history at his new school. On January 16, he scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the first person in Banning Lewis history to reach the milestone.
“It just shows that when you put (in) a lot of hard work, it will show on the court. 1,000 points is a big mark in my career and especially doing it in my junior year was big, but I’m going for 2,000,” said Lebron.
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About Athlete of the Week
News5 works to honor the high school Athlete of the Week throughout the school year in our Tuesday evening newscasts. We’re looking for that special teen who is working hard and playing right all while making parents and coaches proud.
Nominate your Athlete of the Week today! To see our current and past athletes of the week, click here.
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Figure skaters among those on board the plane that crashed into the Potomac
Figure skaters and their families and coaches were on board a flight that crashed near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
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