“Y el MVP del Campeonato Mundial FIBA U17 es … Collin Sexton!”
I look up with my head turned sideways.
Did they just say my name over the P.A.?
I look around from the stage set up on the court in Spain where we had just been given our gold medals, and everyone in the arena is staring back at me.
I guess they did say my name.
Then one of the guys on Turkey’s team, which we had just defeated to win the FIBA U17 World Championship, comes over and whispers in my ear:
“They said you’re the MVP.”
Oh snap, for real?
I guess it makes sense that winning the MVP was an unexpected because just me being on the team at all was pretty unexpected. I wasn’t one of those kids who had been building up buzz since the eighth grade. In fact, only a few months before I won a gold medal, I wasn’t really on anyone’s recruiting radar.
I only got my Team USA invite two weeks before training camp. Just getting an opportunity to try out was a cool accomplishment, but it wasn’t something I let myself get too excited about. I didn’t want to just be a guy who got a look during camp. I was determined to force the coaching staff to take me to Spain. I wasn’t out there just to prove I belonged — I knew I belonged. I wanted to prove I was the best.