The new kid in town, Cody Degraffenreed from Maryland, has led the Orcutt Academy High School Spartans to a 15-3 record (as of press time) this season. This maple-floor thief leads his team with 70 steals and his consistent scoring keeps adding numbers to his stats, which could overwhelm an accountant.
Degraffenreed said he is a natural competitor and lives to play sports. Since he was child, before he could even walk, he would crawl toward his miniature basketball hoop to put the ball through the net. By the time he was 7, he was playing in an organized league and he hasn’t stopped since.
When asked if he had any hobbies besides sports, he paused for a moment, his eyes shifted upward, and wracked his brain for an answer.
“No, not really. I love basketball,” Degraffenreed said. “I’ll go out and play football with my friends or baseball. Just anything sports. I love sports, I love competition.”
Degraffenreed said he loves the intensity that competition brings right before a game.
“In the locker room, I’ll say stuff to the guys like ‘Whose house is it?’ or ‘What time is it?’ while banging on stuff. We get pumped up and get crazy,” he said.
Degraffenreed said his basketball skills have improved this season thanks to his coach, Darrell Black, and the work ethic he learned from both his grandfather and father. He said that the other week his father took him to the YMCA to work on his jump shot, rebounding balls for Degraffenreed for two hours straight.
“[My dad] has always encouraged me throughout my life. He’s been at every single game this year and years past. I can’t remember him ever missing a single game. Even when he was at law school and had to study,” Degraffenreed said.
The teenager’s competitive nature is not limited to his physical abilities. He plans to follow in his father’s footsteps by going to law school after completing a degree in business at Vanguard University, where he hopes to attend one day.
“I give credit to God for all it. He’s been the one who’s helped me whenever I need him. I’ve been getting a lot more press coverage this last week and I’ve been praying a lot more and thanking him,” he said. “God, and my Dad—he’s a big inspiration.”
This article appears in Feb 9-16, 2012.