The 17-year-old Pasadena native suited up for the provincial juvenile men’s basketball team at the Canadian Juvenile Basketball Championship in Winnipeg last month. The six-foot-eight centre was the only player from western Newfoundland to earn a spot on the provincial juvenile hoops team this season.
The Newfoundland and Labrador juvenile men’s hoops team finished at the bottom of the pack, but O’Brien’s stellar play on the hardwood caught the eye of several coaches who saw his big frame compete against some of the country’s top players.
O’Brien has been in contact with coaches at both the University of New Brunswick and University of Prince Edward Island about joining their basketball programs next year when he graduates from Pasadena Academy.
He also had an offer from two schools in New York looking to acquire his services for this season, but O’Brien has opted to finish his last year of high school on Newfoundland soil.
“It was a hard decision there’s no doubt about that, and when I made the decision I knew that no matter what decision I made I was going to have what ifs so I am trying to stick with the decision,” said O’Brien.
“I had to go with my heart. As much as it is a great opportunity for me to go down there, there’s no place like home. So I am hoping I made the right decision. I guess I will never know, but we shall see how it goes.”
No matter what happens, O’Brien is particularly proud of the fact UNB is interested in him because that’s a school he would embrace quite easily.
“They have the oldest engineering program in Canada and it’s one of the best and that’s what I plan on doing so it would be an excellent opportunity for me to go there,” he said.
O’Brien feels he competed quite nicely against the big boys on the hardwood in Winnipeg, and felt his team played hard in losing a ninth-place showdown with Prince Edward Island to wrap up the tournament.
“It was probably one of our better games we played. We played really hard. We ended up losing by five in the end of it, but it was a great experience I got to say. You meet new people that you’ll never forget there’s no doubt about that.”
Being a member of the provincial team has made life so much more enjoyable for the big centre.
“It’s increased my love for the game so much I found,” he said.
“I went out there and every day you lived and breathed basketball and it just got to be so much fun. The first week I got pretty discouraged because it’s a lot of work, but then I found as time went on you got in better shape. I’ve got in so much better shape.
“I’ve learned so much about the game and myself. Overall it’s increased my interest in the game.”
