(CBSDFW.COM) – Marcell McCreary will forever remember his last seconds in a high school uniform. In his words, “That last game… even though it hurt. It hurt real bad.”
The pain of giving your team the final possession and a chance to knock off the defending state champs, only for your teammates to be so excited they jump off the bench and onto the court and for the referee who could’ve issued a warning, instead, called a technical foul. The game was over and a high school career was over just like that.
Brandy McCreary, Marcell’s mother, says, “For me to be robbed like that, it was hard to watch… hard to stomach.”
But when one door closes, another one opens. Marcell is now a proud O.D. Wyatt graduate. The two-time all-state player is bouncing onto the Air Force Academy on a full scholarship.
DeMarqus James, O.D. Wyatt’s head basketball coach, says, “If hard work pays off was a person, that would be Marcell.”
Delton McCreary, Marcell’s father, explains, “We did our part as parents. He did his part as a student athlete.”
Student is the key word, with Marcell finishing in the top ten in his class. The most impressive of Marcell’s accomplishments is being the first African American male to leave O.D. Wyatt with an associate’s degree.
And that’s a slam dunk others can follow.
Marcell says, “Kids younger than me can see that it’s possible. It ain’t nothing wrong with being smart.”
His mother follows, “I hope it opens up their eyes… that right here in Fort Worth there are some great things happening here.”
That includes Marcell McCreay, who is extremely sure of one thing in his immediate future. With a smile of his face, he says, “A lot of buckets.”
