From freshman year to now. From being in the stands, behind the cooler, an off-court leader, to captain. The transition from being just a spectator to a leader,has been “indescribable.”
From the time he opened his Fisher Price basketball hoop, Howard Blake III started playing basketball. He played in his first league when he was just 6-years old. With basketball players in his bloodline, the pressure of following in their footsteps was not immense, but something Blake wanted to live up to.
“My dad taught me everything he knew. He told me to practice as much as I could, listen to other coaches. My mom and dad have always been my support system,” Blake said. “When things weren’t going right, all those years they just encouraged me. They never let me quit and never let me put my head down. They just always told me ‘if you work hard, good things will happen.’”
When Blake tried out his freshman year at Cabrini, he was never expecting to be cut, but that did not stop him. Being cut his freshman year actually made him work even harder.
“I wasn’t a high school star. My high school career was kind of like my college career was during my first two years being on the team,” Blake said. “I didn’t get much playing time and I sat behind countless division one basketball players on my high school team. So when I got to college and found out I had a chance to play, I tried to take full advantage of it because I just wanted to prove to myself that I could actually do it.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Philadelphia Area Small College Coaches Association presented Blake with the Sam Cozen Player of the Week Award.
“I always try and keep my grades up, always stay out of trouble and every time I step on the floor I always try to work as hard as I can,” Blake said. “So I’m just thankful for [Mac] recognizing that.”
Basketball is something that Blake describes as extremely fun. So when coach Tim McDonald told Blake that he received one of the prestigious awards of the league, he was extremely shocked and humbled.
“I decided to nominate Howard for the Sam Cozen award because he represents everything the award stands for. Leadership, student first then athlete, dedication on and off the court, courage, his unselfishness in everything he does,” McDonald said in a text message. “It is a tremendous honor for Howard to receive this award because it finally rewards him for the hundreds of hours of hard work and dedication he has put in to make our program special. It is an award he should be very proud of and one that he will remember forever.”
All of Blake’s friends and family agree that he is known especially for his humble nature and hard work not only on the court, but academically as well.
“Howard has really become a leader in the communication department media over the past several semesters. The same personal qualities that make him a basketball standout also boost his standing in our academic department. He always steps up to get the job done,” Cathy Yungmann, associate professor, said. “He leads by example, doing the hard work himself, not just telling other people to get busy. But most importantly, Howard gets the big picture. He’s able to use his communication skills to run the sports departments in the video show LOQation and in text format for the Loquitur.”
Blake thanked not only his peers who have supported him over the past four years, his best friends, roommates and family for their consistent love and encouragement. His classmates know Blake as “H” but his 11-year old brother, Caleb, who looks up to him and always brags to his classmates about him, knows him as “big brother.” According to Blake, “[It’s] kind of weird because I’m not that special, but to him I am and when I look out and see him there [in the stands] I always try and play as hard as I can, so he can see what it takes to be a basketball player.”
“Howard is so humble I knew he was excited but humble. My husband and I are extremely proud and he worked extremely hard academically and physically,” Sonya Blake, Howard’s mother, said. “As a walk on and watching him endure the past couple of years on and off-court and to see him receive this award was overwhelming because we see the behind the scenes.”
Roommate and best friend Jason Williams, also a communication major, first met Blake the first day of their freshman year, four years ago. “I am extremely happy for Howard on receiving this award. I’m probably more excited than him. All of the hard work that Howard puts in, on and off the court, is finally paying off for him and he’s now being rewarded for his hard work,” Williams said. “I seriously just want everyone to know how driven and motivated Howard is as a person. From getting cut his freshman year to making the team his sophomore year and not really playing at all for two years and now becoming a starter his senior year all while maintaining a 3.4 GPA and being a great brother and role model in the process.”
Senior guard Howard Blake III (middle right) accepts Sam Cozen award with mother Sonya Blake (far left) and father Howard Blake II (far right) and Head Coach Tim McDonald (middle left).
