Preview: Varina needs a return to form
by Tamara Brown, recruit757
Friday, June 17 marked the end of a remarkable run by a pair of Bruin Brothers as Josh Owusu-Koramoah departed from Bethel High School to embark on his journey at William and Mary, leaving behind his younger brother, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
The two teamed up and terminated many offenses and were a key part of Bethel’s defensive stamina but basketball wasn’t the only thing on the brothers’ schedule.
Jeremiah is a dual sport athlete who balances football and basketball while Josh maintained three sports basketball, football and soccer during his tenure as a Bruin.
Outside of athletics, the junior and senior were also stellar students in the classroom and it paid off, especially for Josh Owusu.
“Before elementary school, my mom purchased a trampoline for me and Jeremiah. Nobody else in the neighborhood had a trampoline. Before anyone could go jumping, my mother would demand time tables up to twelve and dictionary words. This was her daily routine for us. Everyone knew Ms. Beverly and they knew we weren’t going to play unless we gave her what she wanted from us. At the time, I didn’t realize what she was doing, but know I’m grateful for the discipline she instilled in us. She taught us the importance of getting our work done before having fun. Somehow that mindset stayed with me throughout grade school. I watched my work ethic and devotion to studying grow more and more every year,” older brother, Josh said.
The senior graduated from Bethel High School on June 17 with a 4.01 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society. In addition to his honors obtained at his high school, Josh Owusu applied for the Gates Millennium Scholarship and was one three Hampton seniors to be named Gates Millennium Scholars.
“To be honest, I wasn’t going to apply for the scholarship. Over the summer, I glanced at the application and I saw eight essays. Eight essays. I started a profile, but I put it to the side. Late November, my assistance principal and principal came up to me and encourage me to apply. In a nutshell, they said, “I believe in you” — their actions spoke louder than their words. One night we were scheduled to play Gloucester at Home and Mr. Harris, assistant principal, sat with me and made sure I was doing what I was supposed to. He even stayed with me after the game until the janitors left the building because he believed in me. He was willing to invest time, time he should’ve been at home with his family,” Josh added.
Owusu was one of three selected out of more than 53,000 minority students who applied for the financial aid program. The scholarship will provide support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help aid and scholars interested in grad school can also receive funding for the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.
“Coach Brehon wrote me a stellar recommendation and Mr. Saunders wrote me a nomination. The people around me push me especially, my mother. She never failed to ask me where I was in the process. All I had to offer is what I had done throughout my high school career. No stories, just facts — when I wrote the essays, I went for authenticity. I told them: what I struggled with, what I excelled in, about my community involvement, ways I learn outside of school, goals, experiences that influenced the way I thought, etc. The application was by no means a cakewalk, but it was totally worth it,” he said of the nomination.
College was always a part of Josh Owusu’s plans in life and earning this scholarship was a blessing for him and his family.
“I vividly remember opening up the letter, seeing the “congratulations” and then immediately kneeling on my bedside to pray. Tears of joy ran down my face, I was awe and still am in awe. I can’t believe that I would be one of the 1,000 out of 53,000 plus applicants. It is only by God’s goodness and favor that I was chosen for the Gates Millennium scholarship. I know that my grades, achievements, and essay alone weren’t good enough to make me stand out. There are hard to be something greater pushing me or allowing me to shine forth. There are tons of kids across the country who are just as bright as me. The question that I ask myself is—Why me?,” Josh noted.
While Josh earned his academic scholarship for college, Jeremiah has been scoring scholarships of his own, on the football side.
“My dad is African so that explains most of it, he was a good athlete and he played soccer, volleyball and he had to run the school. My agility and all that comes from him but partially my mother too she was a great track star. She played volleyball and she swam she did a bunch of stuff and she was a good athlete as well,” Jeremiah said.
Shortly after basketball season, the youngster jumped into a productive football offseason filled with many camps and workouts that led to a spring of scholarship offers.
“I feel like football and basketball talent wise are equal for me but once I get in season for football I stop working out for basketball because you know I love basketball just like I love football. I start getting ready for football so I convert all my time to football and still play basketball but I’m working out more for football,” Jeremiah noted.
On top of his athleticism and skillset on the field, coaches are also impressed by his 3.3 grade-point average and how he carries himself in everyday life.
“Well who put the colleges even in my sight is God and he’s blessed me with these talents and put people around me to contact these coaches. I just feel like the colleges like my character, how my social media has no curse words or retweets with bad things just inspirational stuff. I work hard and they come and they come and see me workout. I work hard and I am the hardest worker on the team. The Lord has blessed me with this talent and I just don’t like to be the last one in drills, I’m a hard worker I believe,” Jeremiah said.
Just over two months away from the start of football season, Jeremiah Owusu has racked up being from Rutgers. Josh is officially a Bruin alumna and he has left Jeremiah to finish out the Owusu legacy strong.
“Its kind of hard to playback those moments where I got to play with Jeremiah, the kid is a beast. Until I’m sitting in the stands as a spectator, I don’t think I will ever fully realize how blessed I was to have been on the same floor with him. I have watched him grow both physically and mentally. He used to be hothead on the court, but through the years, he channeled is angry into an aggressiveness that was beneficial for the team. His energy and tenacity became contagious. I can say without a doubt in my mind that he got better and it wasn’t because he got lucky. He was willing to put in the work behind close doors. When the lights weren’t on, Jeremiah was in the gym. I’ll never be able to adequately describe what its like to have a brother on the court but I will say that if there was a 2 on 2 basketball tournament tomorrow and I could only choose one person it would be: my little brother, Jeremiah Owusu,” Josh said.
Although athletics have been put on hold for the recent high school graduate, Josh Owusu hasn’t completely eliminated it from the picture.
“Currently, my mind is set on going to college for academics. I’m not trying to sound hash, but athletics aren’t paying for my education. Nevertheless, who knows what the future holds, except God, I could potentially end up on the varsity soccer, basketball, or football team. I will try to stay open-minded and enjoy the process of finding where I need to be plugged in at William and Mary. For now, recreational intramural sports sounds like the right move. Intramural’s will provide the flexibility I am looking for while still allowing me to exercise the God-given talents that I have. In college, the sport you play is your job. I would love to take part in undergraduate research, study abroad and get involved with a few on-campus organizations. If sports were a main priority, I don’t know if I would be able to achieve all those aspirations,” he added.
-Tamara Brown
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