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Photo and copy courtesy of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribune
Leading his team by example, on and off the court, Elijah Pollard, 17, hopes to leave an unforgettable impression as he finishes up his senior year of basketball.
As a multi-athlete playing in football, cross-country, basketball, baseball and track and field, Pollard wrapped up his senior year of high school basketball when his team lost in districts, ending their season 9-11.
Standing 6’2, Pollard plays as a forward for the Geary High School boys basketball team based out of Geary, Okla.
Pollard began his basketball journey in the fifth grade.
“My coach in fifth and sixth grade inspired me to play,” Pollard said.
What kept Pollard’s love for the game of the basketball going was his teammates.
“I love how fun it is to play just being on the court, something about that net whenever the ball goes in,” Pollard said.
When on the court playing basketball, Pollard said it makes him feel at peace while on the court.
“It makes me feel good, at peace and calm,” Pollard said.
In his senior year of basketball, Pollard said what he looked forward to the most was having fun during the season.
“I think this year we were a young inexperienced team, so I just wanted to help my teammates get better and play and gain that experience,” Pollard said.
As part of his goals for the season, Pollard wanted to be remembered as someone who helped his community and motivated his teammates to continue to play and get better.
“To just work hard in practice, work hard in games, I motivated my teammates to be better and try to go far,” Pollard said.
And while Pollard strives to be of motivation to others, he gets his own motivation from his family that keeps him playing in sports.
“Well, my older sister she always motivates me to play and my mom she’s always been there for me my whole life,” Pollard said.
Looking back at his time playing basketball, Pollard said he’s grown some on the court.
“I think from the time I begun playing to now, I’ve grown to be an extremely better player than when I first started. I feel like I see the game a lot better than most athletes or most basketball players,” Pollard said.
Many of life’s lessons were also taught during Pollard’s time in basketball.
“Basketball has taught me not to get discouraged in hard times,” Pollard said.
As a basketball player, Pollard said it’s important to have drive and consistency.
“If you motivate the player then you’ll continue to play and being consistent you’ll always continue to get better and grow as a player,” Pollard said.
While the basketball season has ended, Pollard continues to stay in shape and prepare for the upcoming season of track and field and baseball for the spring.
“I look forward to getting better in baseball and staying in shape with track,” Pollard said.
For his senior year, Pollard has maintained a 3.5 GPA and continues to prioritize his studies during sports.
“I always do my school first because at the end of the day I’m a student athlete and student comes first, so I try to get my school work done and then focus on working on basketball or football,” Pollard said.
Looking forward to graduating in the spring, Pollard plans to attend college but is undecided on a school.
Christian Finney, Geary High School head boys basketball coach said Pollard is described as a great athlete and fantastic student on and off the court.
“He had a lot of success this year as far as individual and team goes, he’s a very dedicated student, very dedicated athlete, probably the hardest working young man I’ve had so far in my coaching career. He’s just a natural born leader, does a fantastic job leading his teammates by not only his effort and his positive reinforcement but also leading by example,” Finney said.
Pollard averaged 20 points per game with 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the season.
Finney said Pollard contributed a lot to the team as he led in scoring.
“He carried a lot of the load as far as scoring goes but he’s also just an all-around great player, he played from the heart, always got his teammates involved and just went above and beyond,” Finney said.
Ending the season, Pollard made the all-conference team and was nominated in the Vype Top 100 for his region. He was also named preseason Mr. Basketball for the Woodward area 2022-2023 season.
Pollard’s parents are Eric Pollard and Charlotte Wetselline. His grandparents are Philips Wetselline and Elaine Matanane. Pollard’s siblings are Erika Pollard, Braylon McKee, Malena Beaver, Jordyn McKee and Harmony McKee.