Personal Statement
My name is Carter Johnston and I am a hard-working, dedicated and committed student-athlete, focused on continuing my academic and basketball development at a U.S. based college that has a strong fit with my values and goals. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of playing basketball at the NCAA level given the blend of academic achievement, intense competition, team unity and overall atmosphere that really struck me as a young student-athlete. Today, I am 17 years old and excited to make this dream a reality with a college that will support and encourage me to achieve my academic and athletic objectives.
I am currently a Junior Shooting Guard / Combo Guard at ELEV-8 Basketball Academy, located in Delray Beach, Florida, where I am coached by Ganon Baker and Cody Toppert, among others, each of whom are strong basketball development coaches with college and NBA player experience. I transferred to ELEV-8 in September 2014, from my previous school in Oakville, Ontario, Canada to achieve my goal of playing college basketball, knowing that it was important for me to play against stronger, faster, more talented basketball players from the United States and internationally, every day. My first year at ELEV-8 has been very successful as I have established my role as a valued teammate and strong team contributor by shooting 40% from the field but more importantly, I have consistently practised and played against much stronger competition and I have significantly advanced my skill development as well as my strength and speed. Prior to ELEV-8, I attended Appleby College, a prestigious, academically focused private school near Toronto, Ontario and played Rep / Travel basketball with the Oakville Basketball Club. Coaches at ELEV-8, Appleby College and Oakville Basketball would characterize me as gritty, tough, and hardworking, and as a player who is unselfish on the court, and a good teammate with a high basketball IQ that strives for team success. Previous accolades I have collected through basketball include Most Valuable Player / Colours for my high school team (twice), and Most Improved Player and Most Valuable Player / ABS All-Star Game participant for my club team.
Outside of basketball, I am also focused on achieving academic success and I am proud to have achieved a 4.2 GPA during high school and I continue to achieve high academic performance. Appleby College, as an academically focused school, has prepared me to succeed in high school and future studies and during my time at Appleby College, I was awarded Optimates or Honor Roll in all three years of high school. The work ethic which was instilled in me through teachers, advisors and club coaches, is one of my strongest enduring attributes as it translates to the classroom, on the basketball floor and in many other situations. I believe my high academic performance combined with my deep basketball skill set and development potential will provide significant opportunities at the college level.
I also believe that it is important to be a well-rounded individual and to take advantage of learning opportunities provided outside of the classroom and the basketball court. Throughout my time at Appleby College, I accumulated more than 100 hours of community service as we were encouraged to give back to our community and assist those in need. In addition, I have been fortunate to experience various international cultures and communities far beyond tourist areas in almost all continents of the world. I have travelled to Costa Rica, New Zealand, India, Tanzania and Peru to participate in both community service projects and educational expeditions that have broadened my perspectives far beyond the borders of North America. These perspectives are invaluable and I believe will allow me to bring greater depth to my teammates and college community in the future.
My goal has always been to play collegiate basketball and I believe I have the skill set, drive, motivation and dedication to achieve my goals and add significant value to the right program within the NCAA. I hope that you can see the positive impact that I could make to your program and your school. Thank you for taking the time to review my profile and I look forward to discussing the opportunities to play basketball and achieve my academic objectives at your school in the near future. I hope to be contact with you soon.
