Over the years,
University of North Florida student-athletes have built successful professional
careers after college.
Koran Godwin, the
all-time leading scorer in UNF men's basketball and a 2003 business management
graduate, is still making a difference both on and off the court.
Godwin, who scored
1,513 points in his three-year Osprey career after transferring to UNF from the
University of Buffalo, has utilized his success on the court to help others
score big. He recently co-authored an e-book with former NBA star and
three-time college player of the year Ralph Sampson titled “Winners Circle –
The Ralph Sampson Game Plan: What Great Players Do Before, During, and After a
Basketball Game.”
In 2006, he produced
his first instructional video, "Fundamentals of Scoring," and has
since produced "The Fundamentals of Shooting," "The Fundamentals
of Ball Handling" and "The Fundamentals of Post Play."
"When I
graduated from UNF, I started training kids in the area and someone suggested to me
that I start putting some of my stuff on video. That is when I launched
JumpStartHoops.com," said Godwin.
After his video work
he ventured into writing on basketball Web sites. He currently writes for
TheHoopDoctors.com, where he also creates video blogs and podcasts.
The attention his
writing garnered on the Internet prompted him to put his advice into a book,
"Everyone Hates A Ball Hog but They All Love A Scorer: The Complete Guide
to Scoring Points On and Off the Basketball Court,” which he wrote and
self-published in 2008.
Godwin said the book
gives kids a blueprint for success, teaching them how to balance their lives on
and off the court.
"Most kids get
it because they say it increases their scoring average,” Godwin said. “Parents
love it because of the balance, the priorities I give the kids about my
personal experience - keeping God first, going on to school and then
basketball."
He attributes much
of his success to his experiences at UNF and former UNF head coach Matt
Kilcullen.
"I had a
wonderful career at UNF and met a lot of people I am still in contact with
today. It just put me on the path
for success,” Godwin said. “Coach
Kilcullen did a great job of being a leader and showing us that life out there
is tough, but if you stick to your principles and what you believe in, you will
be successful.”
Kilcullen speaks
highly of his former player, calling Godwin the epitome of the student-athlete.
"He had very
high character as a person and he always had his academics first. On the court
he was a silent assassin. He was one of the most natural scorers I have ever
seen,” Kilcullen said. “It is not any surprise to me that he is successful in
life now as well."
Current men's basketball
head coach Matthew Driscoll is also a fan.
"It is always
great to have alumni involved in our program," Driscoll said. "Koran and I have spoken about
different issues, both athletically and socially, and I really loved his book,
especially the title - how true is that?"
Godwin served as
boy’s head basketball coach at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra for
three years before moving to Washington, D.C., in 2009 to be closer to his
mother-in-law who was battling cancer. He’s now an assistant basketball coach
at Bishop McNamara High School.
