Rafael Ramirez '16 Recruiting Profile

I am looking forward to following in the footsteps of my older brothers and sister and continue my education at the next level  I am currently undecided on a major but will continue talking with my parents and siblings over the next few months to decide on a path that fits my goals and personality.  As a basketball player, I feel I could help a program because of my skill level, all around athleticism, versatility and team first approach.  I am devoted and enthusiastic about the game and hope to play it throughout my life.  I grew up watching and learning the game from my dad, who still plays.  I love the team concept and the fact that there is always something to improve on.  My high school, Stephen F. Austin, plays in the largest schools classification in Texas.  I was a part time starter on varsity as a junior and full time starter this year as a senior.  A major focus of my play is on defense rebounding and passing, because based on the make-up of our team this year that is usually the best way for me to help us win.  I feel that lots of the things I do from game to game are things that don't show up on the statistics sheets.  However, I am a skilled and confident offensive player with inside, outside and mid range scoring ability.  Outside of school, I have also played on the Austin Rain and then the Austin Thunder during the last two years, with players from various schools.  We did some traveling to tournaments throughout Texas and were competitive with more highly regarded and longer established teams.  I also want to mention that I was district champion in the 400 meter dash as a junior, and am even more competitive in the 800 meter dash, although I was not able to run it at last year's district meet.   As a student, my aptitude test scores are very good, and I have maintained about a B average while taking some pretty heavy course loads.  I am confident that I have the ability and focus to handle a college course load, as well as participate in sports.   I am the fifth of six children in my family.  Although I am the first to focus on sports, my siblings have all been successful in other areas such as music and acting.   My parents, Richard and Margaret have been married for more than 30 years and they have set a great example for hard work, good citizenship and family.  I hope I have the chance to take all the things I have learned from my family, along with my own enthusiasm, goals and talents, in order to be a solid citizen, student and athlete for a college sports program.