Player Tribune - Thomas Johnston
As my final semester ever as an Acadia Axemen has arrived; its hard to put into words the thoughts and emotions going through my head. Counting down the remaining practices & games, getting excited to host a national championship, wondering what the future will bring, it’s almost hard to believe this is it!
Open letter to Acadia fans and Alumni,
As my final semester ever as an Acadia Axemen has arrived; its hard to put into words the thoughts and emotions going through my head. Counting down the remaining practices & games, getting excited to host a national championship, wondering what the future will bring, it's almost hard to believe this is it!
It's been a long journey with many ups and downs but no matter what the seasons would bring I always had my teammates by my side. I think that's what I'm going to miss most when I finish my university career, all the different teammates over the years, the bonds and friendships that have been created; these guys are my brothers, they're my family.
When I first began my university career, I had no idea what to expect. I was terrified whether or not the guys would like me. I wasn't sure if I would fit in or if I would feel like I belonged. Those feelings quickly changed once I met my teammates. My fellow rookies (Rhys, Shaq, Tyler, Sean & Brad) were the first teammates I had a chance to meet and get to know better. Living in the same residence we were able to grow our friendships both on and off the court. Having those guys around in residence made being away from home a lot easier. I had my best friends living just down the hall from me… it was great! We often went to meal hall together, played video games, and just hung out like most university students do. I never said it before but I really appreciated those moments. As an athlete you spend so much time focusing on your sport and your training you sometimes forget just to live and be happy.
Once the year got going I was able to get to know my other teammates. I looked up to the older guys for guidance and leaderships to help develop and improve my game. At the time we had some incredibly talented veterans on the team; guys like Owen Klassen, Anthony Ashe, Anthony Sears, all AUS All-Stars who I got to compete against every day. Competing against them helped to boost my confidence, I would tell myself if I can handle these guys, I could handle anything.
There is one teammate however who really helped me, and that's Tom Filgiano. Tom knew that first year wasn't easy for anyone. You were getting used to school, getting used to being away from home, and getting used to playing basketball at a much higher level, but Tom always had a smile on his face and was always encouraging everyone to get better. If it weren't for him forcing me into the library every day and helping to tutor me on top his workload, lets just say my GPA would not have been what it was.
Once first year was over the next couple of years went like a blur. I was no longer that first year trying to find my way; I was slowly becoming one of the veterans myself. The older guys were graduating, and new guys were coming in. The connections with the new guys were made just as easy as the ones in prior years. The only difference now was my role as a teammate. It was my turn to give the younger guys guidance, to show them the ropes, and get them used to the university experience both on and off the court. This was also a time that my friendships with the guys I started with grew into what they are today.
I have to thank guys like Shaq Smith and Rhys Larry for being there with me throughout this journey; being two guys I could always chat with about whatever was on my mind, two guys who encouraged me daily and helped me to be the player I am today, two of my good friends I may of never met if it weren't for basketball.
As I stated before, this is the final semester of my university career, the last few games I will ever have in the Acadia gym, the last few months I will get to spend with my best friends. To my current teammates & coaches, thank you for always being my friends, I'm truly honored to spend my last season with you all.
We may fight with each other, we may want to beat each other some practices, but at the end of the day there was always that reassurance that we had each other's backs no matter what. We lift each other up when someone is down, we give guidance to one-another where it is needed, and we always go into game day ready to fight hand-in-hand as Axemen.
Thank you,