Hey Basketball Spotlight Community,
First, I would like to thank Mike Melton for allowing me to share my journey. After reading past entries it was an honor to be a part of something that many have done before and I consider great friends. My journey might be a little different because I'll be adding a little more than just basketball. I play football and baseball as well. My name is Richard Rosa everyone calls me Richie. I’m a 14 year old from Pequannock, NJ next to Wayne, NJ. I'm a big brother to a lovely sister Skyla and son to my parents Jessica and Richard Rosa. Mentioning them goes to show that my family is first along with the lord then school then athletics without that order I must say I'd probably wouldn't be able to share this journey. I attend The Student Athlete Academy (SAA) in Wayne, NJ where I am entering my 8th grade year of Middle School. I am a competitively three sport athlete. I play in town for the football team and also do Club Baseball for the NJ Renegades.
I am a part of the 2026 New Jersey Scholars who recently joined the EYBL in the last 2 years with top players in the programs like Dajuan Wagner Jr. and Mackenzie Mgbako. Big shout out to my current coaches Coach Dayne Horrobin and Coach Fran, you might know them from KSK also. I must say those two have played vital roles in my basketball journey. I must also say I've been blessed these last few years with the family and brotherhood I formed with all these teams and opportunities so that being said I'll begin with my weekly journey.
Monday, I woke up by 8 am ate breakfast and it was early enough to get my own work out and conditioning done at the local high school football field. I've been taking the proactive approach all summer and setting my own alarms so I can be more responsible of my actions and workouts. It was Labor Day so I had planned to be at my uncle's house later on for a get together. Turned out to be a good sunny day so I played some pool basketball with my dad and his old friends and as always got to hear their old basketball stories.
Tuesday, my alarm woke me up at 8 am ate breakfast and I went to the high school on my bike to run my 3 miles. I was definitely tired after so I decided to stay in and watch some documentaries on TV and hangout with my little sister. Later on I ate an early dinner before going to football practice in the evening. I got home and settled in and continue reading my book ( Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the collision of race and sports in the south )that I was given for my summer reading for The Student Athlete Academy.
Wednesday, my alarm woke me up 8 am. I ate breakfast and began my morning stretch. I decided to stay in today and utilize my mini gym in the back room of the house. I did some bike and box jumps with additional ab work outs to follow. By the afternoon I went out front and did a couple of ball handling drills along with 300 made jump shots on my own court in the driveway. I was scheduled to have football practice later on that day so I rested for the remainder of the day to only have it cancelled due to a false prediction of rain. Instead I got a much needed basketball practice in return with my AAU team NJ SCHOLARS it was great to be out there running the floor with them, its been a while since we all hooked up. After practice I got home settled in and rested for my first day of school tomorrow.
Thursday, I woke up at 6 am, did some Morning Yoga and ate breakfast to get ready for my first day of school. I'm excited because I am attending the Student Athlete Academy with some other athletes like myself for our 8th grade year. First day went well with no complaints. I got to see a lot of things I will be working on to improve going forward. After-school I had football practice to get ready for this weekend’s first game of the season. After practice I got home and continued to finish reading my summer reading assignment for school.
Friday, I woke up at 6 am and did some yoga and stretching before eating breakfast and getting ready for school. I went to school and got my assigned group, It looks like it's going to be a great year with each and every student challenging each other both academically and athletically. After-school we had a walk through practice for our football game on Saturday night afterwards my dad took me to get shots up at the Boys and Girls Club. I made 300 shots before going home. I then settled in and finished the night off watching old highlight reel mixes of some of my favorite professional athletes. These really get me pumped up.
Saturday, it was Game Day, I started off with a well-rested morning. During the season game day consist of staying loose and being rested until tip off. So a lot of highlight reels to get pumped up and pre game footage on the other team to see their style of play. Game time was 8pm. I started off the game with a 40 yard TD reception and some great defensive stops to put us up and not look behind. This year is a little bit more challenging but it’s nothing I can’t handle especially being a leader and someone to look up to on the team. We won 21-8 thereafter we went home and got some well needed rest.
Sunday, well not much to say about it especially after a great night of football. I was able to sit with my dad and go over some forms we had to fill out for the upcoming high school entrance prep courses. I was kind of excited because it's going to be interesting where I go next year. A lot will fall on what's best as my family and I keep seeking for the right fit. Today was a basic recovery day. I watched Sunday football games throughout the day and basically was just resting up for the upcoming week.
Thanks for being a part of my weekly journey hopefully I can entertain you a little more going forward.
