Iman Walcott has made big strides since coming to Belhaven College in the fall of 2005. As I was moving my family to Jackson, MS and be the head coach here Iman was making his journey into college. As a matter of fact as I drove my U-Haul truck Iman packed his bags and came with us not knowing what to expect.
It all came about at the last minute. We had a scholarship available at the last minute and I had been trying all summer to get Iman to a Junior College or place him somewhere so he could go play. It is funny how God has better plans.
We as a staff thought that Iman might leave a few times and pack it in. Knowing how far he was from home and not knowing anyone here was tough his first year. The neat thing is that he steadily improved year after year and especially worked hard in the classroom.
He is extremely bright and has a good future ahead of him because of his approach and willingness to work. I have pushed him and rode him like most players, but sometimes I feel I may have been a little bit tougher on Iman because I knew deep down he had such potential. The problem was that he had not had enough past success to realize how good he can be. We have spent a lot of time trying to get him to realize how good of a player and student he is when he sets his mind on the task at hand.
We rode over here from Atlanta four years ago right before Katrina hit Mississippi and Louisiana. I am so proud of Iman and his ability to stick it out here at Belhaven. He is one of those guys that makes us as coaches love our jobs.
Hope you get to see us play this year.
