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The Daily OrangeMBB | Unlikely leader: Mac Koshwal earns surprising role as DePaul's 1st freshman captain
By Brian Tahmosh
Posted: 1/28/08, 10:39 PM EST Section: Sports
"I still look at it as they're the captains," Koshwal said. "I don't look at myself as a captain. I still learn a lot from them and watch what they do. Just because coach made me the captain, definitely doesn't mean I won't listen to them."
He may have picked up basketball at a late age, but Koshwal used his tough times at the beginning of his basketball career as a motivating factor. Although other people at his school made jokes at his expense over his lack of polished skill, he never once considered quitting and kept working harder to be a better player.
"When you like something and you're not good at it, you have to keep working harder," he said. "I just loved the game, and I kept saying I had to get better. Every day I became better, and I started liking it more and more."
Koshwal spent his early childhood in Sudan with his parents. He does not remember how old he was when he and his family fled to Canada, but he does remember his early years were not the happiest. Koshwal's mother remembers the terrible times dealing with war and slavery in their home country, but she has told her son not to dwell on the past, preferring he look toward the future. He said she will occasionally tell a story or two about Sudan, but she does not speak about it often.
Still, Koshwal's experience has had an effect on the way he lives his life and how he prepares to play on the basketball court.
"I'm just feeling fortunate that I made it out, and I can just live my life and move on," Koshwal said. "There are people that are worse off than me. It makes me work harder every time I think of it."
Koshwal moved from Canada to Chicago when he was 16 years old. Jackson and his wife adopted him and helped him enroll at Julian High School, where he played two years of basketball. After being ruled ineligible for public high school, Koshwal moved on to Jackson's new school: Boys To Men Academy.
Playing two years of prep school helped Koshwal learn how to compete against bigger and stronger competition than he would have in public school leagues. Instead of only matching up against high school kids that were as much as a foot shorter than he was, Koshwal had to develop an inside-out game to dominate competition that was even larger than he was.
He may have picked up basketball at a late age, but Koshwal used his tough times at the beginning of his basketball career as a motivating factor. Although other people at his school made jokes at his expense over his lack of polished skill, he never once considered quitting and kept working harder to be a better player.
"When you like something and you're not good at it, you have to keep working harder," he said. "I just loved the game, and I kept saying I had to get better. Every day I became better, and I started liking it more and more."
Koshwal spent his early childhood in Sudan with his parents. He does not remember how old he was when he and his family fled to Canada, but he does remember his early years were not the happiest. Koshwal's mother remembers the terrible times dealing with war and slavery in their home country, but she has told her son not to dwell on the past, preferring he look toward the future. He said she will occasionally tell a story or two about Sudan, but she does not speak about it often.
Still, Koshwal's experience has had an effect on the way he lives his life and how he prepares to play on the basketball court.
"I'm just feeling fortunate that I made it out, and I can just live my life and move on," Koshwal said. "There are people that are worse off than me. It makes me work harder every time I think of it."
Koshwal moved from Canada to Chicago when he was 16 years old. Jackson and his wife adopted him and helped him enroll at Julian High School, where he played two years of basketball. After being ruled ineligible for public high school, Koshwal moved on to Jackson's new school: Boys To Men Academy.
Playing two years of prep school helped Koshwal learn how to compete against bigger and stronger competition than he would have in public school leagues. Instead of only matching up against high school kids that were as much as a foot shorter than he was, Koshwal had to develop an inside-out game to dominate competition that was even larger than he was.
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