Fredonia High School’s Ashton O’Neal is one of the best scorers in the state and has been scoring at a very high clip as he has led the Yellowjackets to a good 4-2 start and been named to the all-tournament team at the Remington Invitational.
O’Neal grew up in a basketball family and has played basketball since he was in third grade, thanks to watching his brothers show him how it’s done. He knew at a young age what it took to play how he wanted and has always been one of the hardest workers around.
“I would say I need to make sure I have a great work ethic, a desire to get better each day, and the right mindset day in and day out,” O’Neal said. “Coach talks about controlling the controllable, our effort and our attitude, and when I do that to the best of my ability, good things happen.”
As his basketball career comes to an end, the senior knows just how bittersweet these last few games will be and doesn’t plan on taking them for granted.
“I have played basketball with the same guys I am going to end my career with this senior year,” O’Neal said. “The majority of us have played together through rec league, middle school, summer ball, and now high school ball. I couldn’t ask for any better teammates to grow up and play ball with.”
Despite all of the scoring, O’neal has made a really good effort to continue to lead no matter how the game is going for him.
“The most important thing I can do as a leader on this year’s team is to hold myself accountable,” O’Neal said. “I want to lead in such a way that my teammates say I was a great teammate and make sure to help sustain the culture we have of grit, discipline, toughness, and selflessness each and every day. As a team, our focus each time is to be the best possible version of ourselves. We want to make our presence felt in each gym we step into whether we win or lose.”
