James was a fantastic ice hockey player; he elected to play a year of junior hockey before going to a small DI university. He had received interest from Ivy League schools and big DI schools. However, James remained committed to the smaller DI school because he was promised the world. Instead, he had to come to terms with the lies and deceit that surrounded him.
James was always branded as the stud in his family, and while at his high school boarding school, he dominated the hockey games. In his senior year, Jame's performance started attracting the interest from the Ivy League schools; but his first offer came as a full-ride scholarship from a smaller DI university. During his visit to the school after his senior year, the coach wooed him and his parents. The coach did what he needed to do to get James, even if that meant lying to him. James seemed to love the coaching staff, the players he met, and the culture. James was also promised a starting position, among other things that had him extremely excited about his opportunity to attend this university.
Popular among serious hockey players, James decided to play a year at the junior hockey league level (USHL): a league typically for 16-20-year-olds who want to focus on hockey before going to play at the collegiate level. As he had done his whole life, James thrived. He became the first rookie captain in the league's history. At the end of the season, his USHL coach asked him to de-commit from the small D1 university. He wanted to stay for another year to gain a stronger interest from bigger schools. James had already begun catching the eyes of schools like Notre Dame, Miami (OH), and Michigan because of his stellar performance.
After remembering his world-class visit and his value of commitment, James decided to stick to his original plan and go to the small D1 university. Early on, however, James began to realize that not everything was as it seemed on his visit. He was engulfed in a community of spite, misdirection, and abuse. The coach berated his players continuously, and he also messed with them mentally, especially the upperclassmen. Players were encouraged to miss class and instead focus on hockey and girls. There were countless NCAA infractions of illegal practices and lifting sessions. The players were playing with the knowledge that if they were caught, there would be severe repercussions.
While James played a lot in his first year, it all went downhill after that. As a sophomore, he politely went into his assistant coach's office and questioned a decision. James did not dress for the following ten games. When he gained the courage to call his coaches out on this again, he didn't play in games indefinitely. His confidence was shattered, and he struggled with trusting the coach's issues he obtained because of his treatment.
James' hockey career, however, does have a happy ending as James went on to play two years of pro hockey before pursuing a career in finance where he is now incredibly successful.
* Originally published on June 8, 2018, by Justin Dechiario
