Life & basketball with Devante Witherspoon

Caleb Cook

Great classmate, varsity basketball player, funny guy, and a rapper on the side. All of these things describe Junior guard Devante Witherspoon, playing his third year of basketball here at East.  

When did you start playing? 

I didn’t start playing basketball until about 3 years ago. My brother, had played basketball, and he got arrested, so then I just thought that I would play too 

What motivates you to play hard? 

Just the fact that there’s always somebody I know that’s going to be better than me, so it’s just the fact that knowing somebody’s better than me just (helps) to make me better 

How do you feel the team is doing compared to last year? 

We’ve made progression in some areas, we play more as a team this year, and it might not be showing in the win column or anything, but it shows on the floor and just how we act as an overall team. 

What do you think about the changes coach core has made? 

I feel like they’re good changes, he’s getting us into a mindset, that even though we’re not winning, he’s putting us into a winning mentality, and putting us in situations where we kind of just have to think positive, he’s getting rid of a lot of negative thinking, which I think is great. 

What do you think is the future for this team? 

We’ve got a lot of young talent, a couple freshman we have that are really good. We have a good platform for the future, and that’s good. 

Who have been your biggest role models/ mentors in your time playing basketball? 

Bagot (Anyang) has been probably one of the biggest influences on me, because he’s the type of player that can be funny and stuff off the court, but as soon as he steps on the court his whole mindset changes, and that’s something I kind of look up to. He’s just a cool dude to be around 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I like to rap, I write poetry and stuff, and I eat a lot too. 

How have the lessons you’ve learned on the court shaped you off the court? 

Well, on a basketball court, there’s going time be things that don’t go your way all the time, might be a bad call here, a whistle there, and you kind of just have to play through it, like in life, there’s things you have to do that you have no control over, that you’re just going have to live with.  

What has been your biggest accomplishment (in your opinion) playing basketball? 

This year, I started off the season starting, and that’s always something I’ve wanted to do, see how it feels to start on the varsity team. I don’t start anymore, but I still get [playing time] 

Do you have any special gameday routine? 

Music has a really big influence in my life, and I listen to the same song before every game [Eminem- Till I Collapse], I listen to it about six times.