Tonawanda High School's Trevin Boling signed a national letter of intent on April 25 to attend D'Youville University and play for the Saints basketball team. (Photo by Larry Austin/Tonawanda City School District)
Tonawanda's all-time leading scorer committed to taking his basketball skills to the next level Monday.
Tonawanda High School senior Trevin Boling signed a national letter of intent to attend D'Youville University in Buffalo and play for the Saints men's basketball team.
Boling signed the commitment letter during a ceremony in the Tonawanda High School Library Media Center.
The Warriors' all-time leading scorer with 2,024 points, Boling is a 6-foot guard who chose the D'Youville program after making his practice facility in the past. "I worked out there over the summer," Boling said. "It was super fun. Nice facility, good people, good community."
Boling said he will probably play point guard for the Saints, who compete in the East Coast Conference of NCAA Division II, but, he added, "Whatever my role is, I'm going to take full responsibility."
He said he is still weighing course of study options between sports science and health care administration and will settle on one within the next week or two.
Boling thanked Tonawanda City School District Director of Athletics Renee Smith, who organized the signing ceremony, as well as the dozens of people -- teammates, classmates, coaches, friends, family, and the school community -- who attended. "Nice turnout. I'd like to thank the people who came. It's just really nice to have something like that put together," he said.
Years of practice led up to the signing. Boling advised aspiring scholarship athletes, "You've got to work hard when nobody's watching, keep your head down, and keep pushing through things even when it seems like nothing's going to happen or there's no hope in the situation."
Boling averaged more than 30 points per game his senior year. He honed his skills with 6 a.m. workouts under the tutelage of Rod Middleton, Warriors varsity coach this past season. Middleton began training Boling before Boling's freshman season.
"I saw a kid who had some potential," Middleton recalled of those first workouts. "But, with any kid, you never really know until they start to put the work in. At that age, he had potential, but I think one of the things that impressed me about him was his work ethic, the fact that he kept coming in, he kept coming back in the summer, working out during the season."
Middleton said the workouts "showed me that this kid wanted more than maybe the average kid because he's willing to do the extra, working out and trying to get better."
Middleton said the skill set that makes Boling a scholarship athlete includes shot-making and creating shots for himself and for his teammates. But Boling excels at the skills that don't show up on the stat sheet, Middleton said.
"The biggest thing that I tell everyone is confidence is number one. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have the confidence to go out, night in and night out, and produce, you're going to struggle," Middleton said. "Two, it's the work ethic. A lot of work goes into what people see the day of the game: the 6 a.m. workout, the waking up and working out in the gym, the making 300 shots a day. All of that stuff goes into becoming a collegiate athlete. And then just his ability to lead, to lead his team through the ups and downs, to always stay positive.
"I think throughout his years, he's shown that he was able to do whatever that team needed, from his freshman year all the way up to his senior year."
Middleton said Boling's scholarship signing also shows that what matters is not the size of the player's school or hometown, but the capacity to work to improve.
"I think it shows that it doesn't matter where you go. If you're an athlete and if you're dedicated and committed to achieving something, it's possible," Middleton said of reaching the next level.
That Boling has put his name on the shortlist of ECIC basketball players who have scored 2,000 points in their high school careers illustrates not only the potential of the basketball program but also the potential of one Warrior, one student, one Tonawandan at a time to lift the school and community.
"I think that this program could really turn around, but it's all up to the kids," Boling said. "If the kids want to put in the work, this whole school can turn around. Every single sport, not just basketball. I think that's most important, just improving the community."