Education helped propel North Preston athlete to NCAA basketball

North Preston's Nevell Provo dream of playing NCAA Division 1 basketball in the United States is a reality, and it is education that allowed him to pursue it.

Provo is in his sophomore year at Loyola University in Baltimore, Md. It is a school the 20-year-old chose from a number of offers.

"You need the grades first of all to be eligible to play, but with higher grades, it gives you more opportunity to be recruited by any school," Provo said.

He noted Loyola has a business school. "So when I was looking to take classes in business school and join the finance community, it made sense to me, along with that the basketball is great."  

Work ethic essential

Provo hopes to open his own firm after he earns his finance degree.

For now, he is sharing his experience with young athletes from communities in the North Preston area and makes it a priority to spend time with them when he's home visiting.

He wants them to know the work ethic needed to compete at the level he's reached.

"We'll go over some drills. I'll show them stuff I've learned, just show them the work ethic it takes … just give them inspiration," Provo said.

He recalls daily routines of waking up early, going on runs and doing his homework at night. All because he set his mind to accomplish his goals.

"It had nothing to do with luck."

Grades matter

The best advice Provo has for others chasing big dreams: "If you put your mind to it, anything is possible. The main thing is hard work and staying persistent and not selling yourself short. Not being afraid to dream."

Fourteen-year-old Stacy Smith plays for the East Preston Pacers and has learned a few things from Provo.

"I can be good on the court but I need to have good grades and things if I want to do something with myself on the court," said Smith.

Smith is now working on improving his grades so he can also go to school on a scholarship to play basketball.

Provo left his parents and nine brothers and sisters when he was 13 to attend high school in Pickering, Ont., where he played basketball and lived with his uncle.

A year later he was offered a basketball scholarship at Huntington Prep School in West Virginia.

"At the time, it was one of the top-ranked high schools in the country. I was there with a few other guys that are now in the NBA," Provo said.

"After that, I came back to Canada for my last year of high school."

Silver medal at FIBA Americas

In 2015, Provo represented Canadian national U18/19 men's basketball team at FIBA Americas, a major basketball tournament.

"We actually won silver medal at FIBA Americas and we went to Greece in 2015, and finished fifth place in world's so that was one of my biggest accomplishments on the court," said Provo.

Smith said he feels fortunate have a mentor like Provo and learn from someone who's played different levels of basketball.

"Not everyone gets the opportunity to … have someone that's already there, to help them and give them advice," said Smith