Joshua K. Willis grew up on the West Side of Chicago, a notoriously rough area, and basketball was his way out, and his ticket to a future full of potential.
Willis attended North Lawndale College Prep High School his freshman year of high school, as he grew to 6’1’’, but Willis struggled with his grades.
After attending North Lawndale his freshman and sophomore year Willis transferred to Morton East High School located in Cicero, Illinois which is a suburb of Chicago for his junior year of high school. Before his junior year, Willis demonstrated his talent in summer leagues, and the expectations grew to a fever pitch heading into Willis’ junior year of high school.
Willis even had offers from perennial NCAA Tournament teams like DePaul and Central Michigan in addition to Florida International University and some Division III and junior college teams.
Issues with Willis’ grades have been present every step of the way, and to this point, had hampered Willis in his ultimate goal of playing on a D1 basketball team and Willis decided to take matters into his own hands.
Willis decided to stage a showcase of sorts thanks to Felix Rogers and In The Gym Hoops and before the camp, Willis’ father imparted on his son words of wisdom: “Josh you can be good behind closed doors in the gym by yourself in open gyms but if you play bad within these two days of the camp people would look at you as not being good enough.”
Willis took his father’s advice to heart, acquitted himself well at the camp, and was ready to take off during his junior year. A junior year that started with so much excitement for Willis ended with a whimper as he did not get the playing time he was hoping for and Willis eventually quit the team.
Willis had one final opportunity, his senior year, to prove to prospective college coaches that he could be a valuable asset to their team. It was Déjà vu for Willis during his senior year as he struggled with his grades and when he did hit the hardwood, had the worst year of his basketball career.
With the book officially closed on Willis's high school basketball career, he had no offers from any D1 programs as programs like DePaul and Central Michigan lost interest in Willis due to his poor grades.
“I knew deep inside I couldn’t [commit to a D1 program] because my grades weren’t good enough,” Willis said.
With his D1 dreams officially dashed, Willis committed to the NAIA East-West University located close to home in Chicago. Willis’ first season was 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was unable to find his footing.
Willis made one last-ditch effort to play on a D1 program, but his grades once again held him back. Willis had his sights set on Chicago State University for his sophomore year of college, but he was not admitted due in large part to his grades.
“I told myself I am going to be a pro overseas. No school work just focused on something I love to do and that’s basketball and hopefully in the NBA. To be continued,” Willis said.
Photo courtesy of Joshua K. Willis LinkedIn.
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