Advice from long-shot success story from Champaign: 'Bet on yourself'
Mar. 15—When talking about underdogs, Germaine Roebuck Jr. — aka "Dink" — should be at the top of the list. His journey to becoming a professional basketball player has been quite the ride filled with many obstacles.
I first met Germaine when he was a little kid. His older brother, Xavier Martin, and I trained together every day and were also high school teammates at Champaign Central. Our trainer, Corey Taylor, would pick us up and I'd see Germaine standing outside. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to tag along but he never came.
After all of those years of seeing his brother get trained every day and him being left out, it put a chip on his shoulder. I'm thinking he wanted to prove everybody who didn't believe in him wrong. Let me tell you, the kid did just that!
It was a process with Germaine. He wasn't always the best. There were teams where he was the last man off the bench or he didn't even play. But the work never stopped.
If anything it just made him hungrier to prove that he belonged.
As he continued to work, we started to see flashes of greatness but he didn't quite have it all put together yet.
He earned a spot on Waubonsee Community College's team and become a first-time all-conference pick, MVP of his team and an honorable mention junior college All-American.
He didn't stop there. He landed at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Hammond, Ind., an NAIA program where he perfected his craft. From his approach to the game to his mindset to even how he moved out on the court was beautiful to see.
Germaine is the epitome of hard work and dedication.
I asked him what advice he had for younger kids coming up in the same situation, and his answer was short yet very powerful: "Bet on yourself."
That's what he did and it has taken him all over the world doing what he loves to do. The same thing nobody thought he was good at, he turned out to be one of the best players ever from our city and I'm proud to have witnessed his journey.
Germaine is currently playing professionally in the Basketball Africa League for the City Oilers. He's recovering from an Achilles' injury and should be back on the court soon. Let's wish him a speedy recovery so he can get back on the court and continue to make a name for himself.
