LAWRENCE DUSHENSKI
SPORTS REPORTER

Basketball always came easy to Humber Hawk Akeem Sween, however it was not until he earned a scholarship to play for a college in Georgia that he realized his potential.

“I never thought about how good I could be, or was,” said Sween, a third-year general arts student. “I just played basketball because everyone I grew up with played.”

Sween, a highly touted basketball player coming out of Applewood Heights Secondary in Mississauga, experienced several twists and turns in his life, but despite the many adversities he has persevered to be one of the leaders of the Humber Hawks.

He earned a scholarship to play at Georgia Perimeter College out of high school, but a devastating knee injury forced him to come home after his second year there.

“I didn’t think that I would play basketball again,” said Sween, now 24.

But after evaluating his options, and mulling over playing for a university in the area, personal relationships with members of the Hawks basketball program brought him here for the 2008-2009 season.

“Akeem was one of the most consistent players on the team that year,” said James DePoe, the men’s basketball coordinator referring to his rookie year. “He was a league all-star after averaging 16 points and seven rebounds a game.”

Life took another turn after that season, this one for the better. Sween sat out the entire 2009-2010 season.

“My daughter was born,” said the soft-spoken Sween. “So I had to go take care of her.”

But after some encouragement from head coach Shawn Collins, the 6’4’’ forward returned to Humber for the second half of this season.

“Shawn was messaging me and saying that he had a uniform with my name on it waiting for me,” laughed Sween.

However coach Collins acknowledged how difficult it can be join a team halfway through a season.

“It takes four or five weeks to get back in game shape,” said the first year coach. “But his teammates trust him and he plays to his strengths.”

Sween will be one of the leaders of the team next year, and he is embracing the opportunity to take some of the younger players under his wing.

“I have been here for so long,” he said. “So I think I can teach the young guys a few things.”

His positive attitude and love for the game will surely keep his teammates loose on and off the court next season.

“He always plays with a smile,” said DePoe.