David Stockton: Stepping out of the Shadow

For many people the name John Stockton is a household name. All across the country and even the world, people have heard the name John Stockton. John played Division one college basketball and went on to have a very good professional career. Most people, however, have never heard the name David Stockton. David, like his dad, chose to pursue basketball.

At the age of five, David started following his siblings around doing everything they did, and this was the start of his basketball career. All through his childhood David played many sports. When asked how he choose basketball, David told me, "I didn't choose basketball, basketball chose me." Basketball was in David's blood, and even though his dad was a professional player, David said he never pushed him to do anything. When David was playing basketball he just looked at it as having fun because he could be like his dad.

Throughout his career David has always been determined to succeed. Coming out of high school, David wanted to play Division one basketball in college. When it came time to choose which college he was going to attend, he chose Gonzaga University, which happened to be the school his dad had attended. When I asked David why he chose to go to a school that his dad was so well known and had such an amazing career at, he answered simply by saying, "Gonzaga was the only Division one university that wanted me to walk on, so I did."

David went from being a walk on athlete to a regular starter and someone the team relied on. In the world of college sports, a walk on is someone who was not given a scholarship to play at the school, but is given an opportunity to still be on the team if they proved they are good enough in a tryout. For David, the most challenging thing in his career has not been fighting to make Gonzaga's team or fighting to get playing time. His biggest challenge was proving to coaches and other people, "That he was able to play because he was good, not cause who his dad was."

Many would say that Gonzaga's willingness to allow David to walk on to their team was because of his dad. David knew he was going to have to work really hard to break out of his dad's shadow. In his four years at Gonzaga, David went from a walk on to a starter and key part of the team.

Leaving Gonzaga David had high hopes of playing professionally somewhere. During preseason for the National Basketball Association (NBA) David was acquired by the Washington Wizards. In the end, the Wizards did not end up working out for David. This was just another bump in the road for David. He is still pursuing a professional career, and at this point he is undecided where he will go. David has fought hard for everything that he has achieved, and if he keeps fighting he will reach his ultimate goal. Keep your eyes and ears open for David Stockton because in the near future he will be someone to really watch.