Monday, March 4, 2013
2015 OL/DL learns lesson through hoops
By Mason Kelley
For Calvin Throckmorton (Bellevue, Wash./Newport), basketball is a sport that has helped him prepare for football.
From footwork to agility, his experience on the court has improved his performance on the field.
Two-sport standout Calvin Throckmorton uses lessons from basketball to help in football.
This year, though, basketball taught 6-foot-4, 240-pound sophomore something new. Newport had to win five win-or-go-home games to earn a spot in the Class 4A state tournament. The Knights carried the camaraderie built through adversity to a sixth-place finish.
“As the season progressed, we started to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Throckmorton said. “We just started connecting, playing as a team and we just got better and better.”
He said he learned a lot about playing with a “team mentality.”
“It’s always important remember you’ve got that one guy next to you that’s got your back and you have his,” Throckmorton said. “It’s a team mentality and not just one person playing against another.”
Now that basketball season is over, the lineman is working toward the 2013 football campaign.
“Right now, getting out of basketball, I’m going to try to work out a lot more,” Throckmorton said. “I think I’m going to end up getting a personal trainer and just work with him. I know some other guys who are going to help me with some skill stuff, too.”
Throckmorton recently attended Washington’s junior day, spending time with some of the Huskies’ defensive line prospects and the program's position coach Tosh Lupoi.
“It was such a cool experience just seeing all those new facilities and everything,” Throckmorton said. “It was kind of eye opening, because that’s a possibility. It was really cool.”
He spent his sophomore season on the defensive line, but his long-term future might land him on the offensive line in college. At this point, he is open to anything that gives him the opportunity to play Division I football.
“I feel like I have the chance to play at the next level if I keep improving,” Throckmorton said. “Right now, it’s still kind of a dream in a way. If I ever got that chance, it would just be really amazing.”
