BRIDGEPORT – Bridgeport High School junior Jaleel Vincent achieved a major milestone in his basketball career and did his school proud Jan. 9 during an away game against Steubenville Catholic Central. The Bulldogs would take the victory with 75-39 and Vincent got his 1,000th career point.
“I knew at Steubenville Central I was going to get it. I was kind of excited. I was ready the whole time,” he said afterward. “We came down and we executed it and I ended up getting it.”
He said after a recent loss, the team practiced hard and took to the court with Bulldog bite.
“We came out. We pressed. We executed for 32 minutes and we played hard the whole time.”
He credited the coaches and the high standards they set.
“They push us to be the best we possibly can be. We have to respond to their coaching well.”
Vincent said basketball has been a significant part of his life. The sport has imparted some valuable lessons on and off the court.
“My dad introduced me to the game at a young age and ever since then I stuck with it. I work really hard at what I do. It’s more than a game to me. For some people, it’s just a game, but I take it as a lifestyle,” he said.
“It is teaching me to work hard and persevere through the tough times,” he said, adding while they might not win every game, a Bulldog will never lose heart or stop trying. “It’s how you bounce back the next game. It’s taught me how to be a better person overall, understanding people and how they respond. Like I’ve got to learn how to be a better teammate. It just taught me a whole bunch of different things.”
Vincent has ambitions for the rest of the season.
“As a team aspect, I’m hoping we go pretty far in the playoffs. I hope we get the district championship and move on to the regional and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference championship.”
For a personal goal he is trying for the all-time leading scorer in boy’s basketball, aiming for more than 1,590 points by the end of next school year’s season.
In the meantime, the school is proud of Vincent’s achievement.
“The faculty and my peers, they’ve just been showing me a lot of support and congratulating me a lot and I appreciate that, because the community’s very supportive.”
He encourages prospective new players.
“If you want to give basketball a try, go ahead and do it, but when you do it, make sure you give it your all. Give it your best every single day you wake up.”
Head Basketball Coach Donnie Cash said Vincent’s 1000th point score is the latest example of what student athletes can do when they buy into the program.
“He works hard and he deserves everything he gets. He’s a gym rat. He’s always here putting in the extra effort,” he said. “This was one of his goals and he was working towards it, and it was a great accomplishment to achieve the goal midway through his junior season here at Bridgeport.”
Cash added Vincent sets a good example.
“He’s one of our leaders and we expect more out of him, and he has produced for us throughout his high school career.”
He said the student athletes are committed to excellence and give their best in every game.
“They’ve all taken ownership since the end of last year.”
Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher commends his coaches and players.
“Overall as a team, they’re doing very well this year,” he said. “They have a big winning record. They’ve only lost two games at this point, so they’re doing very, very well. I think we’ll go pretty far in the playoffs. I think they’ll have a great season. Specifically for Jaleel, major congratulations to him. It’s a testament to not just talent but his work ethic. You see him around here, he’s putting in major work before school hours, after school hours, all the time and the hard work is paying off.”
