NAIG 2017 Profile: Jacob Paul
- EFN Staff | July 20, 2017
Jacob Paul from Regina will be amongst thousands of athletes to compete in this year’s North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) held in Toronto from July 16-23. Paul will be playing basketball with the U16 age group for Team Saskatchewan. The 15-year-old athlete has been playing the sport for a few years now and is looking forward to the experience.
“In grade seven I got to fall in love with basketball all over and really started to dedicate time to my dribbling, handles and shot,” said the Grade 9 student who attends Luther High School. “I am looking forward to the environment of a major city and also being recognized as an elite athlete.”
Paul’s favorite basketball player is professional athlete Damian Lillard who is the point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA because of the pride and determination he demonstrates.
“I like him also because of the adversity he has shown while struggling of not being an all-star to become the leagues top point guard,” he said. “[I like] his style of play, his dribble skills, his ability to manoeuvre and score under the basket. Plus, he has a smooth shot and I also admire that he is an artist/rapper.”
When Paul graduates from high school, he hopes to pursue a post-secondary education to study either architecture or possibly medical school ideally with a basketball scholarship.
His advice to other youth who have a passion for sports is not to give up when it gets tough.
“I have faced many challenges in my sport such as sudden death games in club tournaments which I had lost but it gave me a drive to work harder and practice more at what I didn't excel in in the games,” he said. “Keep at your sport and work on your flaws.”
Paul is pumped to play basketball, travel and represent Saskatchewan at NAIG 2017.