Andrew Platek is one of the top shooting guards in the Class of 2017. The 6-foot-4 Platek will be contributing periodically to ZAGSBLOG going forward. Here is his first Player Blog.
A special thank you to Adam Zagoria for this opportunity to write my own player profile for ZAGSBLOG. This is Andrew Platek with my first Player Blog.
I attend Northfield Mount Hermon Prep School in Gill, MA. This past year was my first year there and an opportunity to play in the best basketball league in the country, the NEPSAC. I’ve had the honor of playing alongside and against the very top players in the country, all the while learning and growing from my head coach, John Carroll. Along with growing to be a better basketball player and a leader for my team, NMH is also one of the most prestigious academic prep schools anywhere in the United States. Northfield Mount Hermon is indeed the best combination of academics and basketball anywhere in the country. Eleven NMH alums are in the Ivy League. Only the state of California (12) and the state of Texas (13) have more players in the Ivy League. Now, this isn’t an Ivy League factory, but the exposure to high level academics and the knowledge and desire for a top notch education sends some of the alumni of NMH in this direction. Not only do we produce great students and ball players, our culture of basketball breeds leaders. An NMH alum has or will captain Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale and Princeton in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. There are 6 players off of the 2012 NMH NEPSAC AAA championship team who went on to be captains in college. Spike Albrecht (2x at Michigan), Ethan O’Day (2x at Vermont), Tommy Carpenter at Dartmouth, Evan Cummins at Harvard, Anthony Dallier at Yale and Peter Miller at Princeton. I look to follow in the footsteps of these examples of great character. Our alumni always embody what NMH is truly about.
My family is the one aspect of my life that comes before anything else. All of the things that I am: student, friend, and basketball player, come after the responsibility and love I have for my family. Being the youngest of three I got to learn a lot of things from my older siblings. They taught me how to play video games cards, but never anything athletically. They played sports, but never to the extent that I wanted to go out and play. My family didn’t know a thing about basketball until I came along and fell in love with it. My brother, now 27, attended Clarkson University, and my sister who is now 21, attended Boston University. My parents didn’t see this life coming either. My dad always told me he loved sports, but was never very good at them. My mom, on the other hand, said that she wasn’t half bad as an athlete in her youth, but never to the level of what I was doing. I love my parents for the support they gave me through the years of rec soccer, little league, lacrosse, and basketball, until I finally knew that it was basketball that had my heart, theirs too.
Not only are they amazing parents, they are smart as well. My mom attended the University of Buffalo as well as Albany Law School and is now an attorney. My dad attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park (the food at NMH doesn’t come close to home cooking), but is now a purchasing agent for a mill-work company in Albany. As you can see, my family attended first-rate academic institutions, and the drive and desire to do well academically is something that was instilled into me at a young age by my parents. It has always been and will continue to be academics before basketball. My mom never hesitated to not let me play unless my grades were up to her standards or my homework wasn’t finished. It was this value put on academics which led me to have the privilege of attending Northfield Mount Hermon. I will hopefully continue my basketball career at the school which is the best fit for me and has the best combination of academics and basketball. The ball doesn’t bounce forever, but a degree is something no one can take away from you.
I’ve been blessed to have some of the greatest coaches and mentors to guide me to where I am today. None more influential, however, than my mentor Jeanna Cornetti, who passed away just over a year ago. Her son Jake and I were very close growing up, and she was the one who actually introduced me to basketball. Jake and I played seemingly every sport together, from soccer to lacrosse and finally basketball. Our relationship let my parents relationship with Jeanna blossom, as they were always together at sporting events, school meetings, and the like. Jeanna was the one who saw that I had an aptitude for basketball, and ran with it. She taught me how to dribble a ball, how to shoot (not very well) and pass at a young age. This introduction to the game grew into a passion and love for basketball as she had always had. While others doubted me growing up, her confidence and belief in me never wavered. We would break down film together, talk about scouting and what I could improve on. She was constantly telling me what I could get better at and how to do it. At the same time our families would celebrate holidays together, birthdays, and dinners. It was like she was a part of my family, and I am forever grateful for the love, determination, and drive she gave me. Of course I wish she was still here to see all of the craziness of my life today, but knowing she can always watch over me is all the I drive I need to make myself better. Jeanna showed me the ropes and taught me many important things, but I would certainly not be writing this profile if it wasn’t for the City Rocks organization. Coach Jim Hart I met when I was 15, and he saw something in me that no one else did. At that time I didn’t even comprehend the possibility of going to college for basketball, but he always told me to keep working hard, keep doing the little things and it will come. Through him and coach Patrick Neary’s leadership and coaching, I grew from a boy of uncertainty to a man in control of his destiny. I’m sure I speak for all City Rock players, current and former, when I say that there is no better man that Jim Hart. He always puts others in front of himself and always has your best interest at heart. He’s the person that would go to the ends of the earth for you and expect nothing in return, that’s just the kind of guy he is. He is the true definition of a leader and I owe all my successes to him.
Because of my school, coaches, and family, I know hold scholarship offers from North Carolina, Stanford, Butler, Harvard, Davidson, George Washington, Yale, Princeton, Miami and Indiana, among others. I’m looking forward to session 4 of Nike EYBL and making a strong statement come July when Peach Jam comes around. Next year my team and I will look to repeat as New England champions and hopefully win the national title. Those are the goals. I will be a city rock and an NMH hogger for life.
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NAndrew Platek is one of the top shooting guards in the Class of 2017. The 6-foot-4 Platek will be contributing periodically to ZAGSBLOG going forward. Here is his first Player Blog.
