When the life of a college athlete is brought up, one phrase comes to mind: “full-time commitment”. College athletes must give themselves wholly to whatever game they play in order to reach the highest level of performance they are capable of achieving. Alade Aminu is one such athlete; living his life to the fullest while maintaining dedication to his team and those around him.
Aminu’s day starts early. Waking up in the early hours, he goes through his morning rounds, wearing the clothes he laid out the night before. After getting to class punctually at 9 a.m., he heads to the gym where he works on shots for half an hour. Once he’s finished practicing shots, he focuses on lifting weights until it is time to eat lunch.
“After that I have some time to chill so I call up some of my homeboys,” Aminu said. He takes this time to rest until the next practice at 4 p.m.
The next day the schedule starts all over.
Game days are much more hectic. If there is a noon game, Aminu gets up really early to get ready and practice. After some practice, he heads to the locker room to prepare for the game.
The off season is much more relaxed. Usually, Aminu has about two classes early in the day. Then, he heads to the gym and practices his shots. At night, he usually spends time with his friends and possibly goes to the gym again. In the summer, Aminu has a summer camp for young, inspiring athletes.
This summer he also plans to spend time at basketball training camps and getting ready for the next level. When not practicing, studying, or just relaxing with his friends, Aminu is hard at work with the organization he started, The Brothers of the World. This is an organization involved in giving opportunities to young children, especially in basketball. It also tries to teach them about the importance of education.
The organization helps achieve its goals by partnering up with other charitable organizations. “Sometimes in my spare time I’ll sell T-shirts and raise [money] for my boys,” Aminu said.
“We worked with the King Foundation and gave them clothes and gift bags. We had a toy drive around basketball games. I’m definitely staying with the Brotherhood for the rest of my life to give kids the necessary tools and resources they need.”
Aminu, whether practicing basketball or working with the Brotherhood, dedicates himself to self-improvement and the improvement of others.
He also especially appreciates his fans, giving a shout out to “every Tech fan who supports us through the good and the bad, especially the Swarm.” He would especially like his fans to also support his brother, “the other Aminu playing basketball at Wake Forest,” Aminu said.