ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – If he continues to work hard and continues to keep his grades up and listen to what his family and his coaches have to say, the sky is the limit for him.”
Years ago, former Cave Spring high school basketball head coach Billy Hicks uttered those words about a young JJ Redick.
It turns out Hicks was exactly right.
Redick followed that advice to a T.
The Cave Spring standout went on to become a McDonald’s All-American and a legendary Duke Blue Devil, winning back-to-back National Player of the Year awards under Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Following a highly successful 15-year career in the NBA, Redick now holds one of the most high-profile jobs in basketball: head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“This journey has been beyond my wildest dreams, and I’m pinching myself every day that I’m at Duke with Coach K, I’m pinching myself every day I’m in an NBA locker room, and I’m pinching myself now every day that I get to coach the Lakers,” Redick said.
Though Redick had been away from the Roanoke Valley for 13 years, the Star City’s prodigal son returned on Wednesday to the Summit Sportsplex. There, he spoke directly to more than 500 Roanoke County students.
“Hopefully they got something out of it, hopefully they were inspired,” Redick said of his address to the crowd. “They got some insight into me and my story and how I’ve been able to get to where I’m at.”
The homecoming event was organized with the help of Summit co-founder Kevin Connelly, who played alongside Redick for one season at Cave Spring.
Connelly emphasized that the reunion was designed first and foremost to benefit local youth.
“To bring him here had less to do with my relationship with JJ as it did, ‘how can we impact these kids, right? How can we make a difference with these kids?’” Connelly said.
During his conversation with the next generation of Roanoke County students, Redick delivered a clear, motivating message about perseverance and ambition.
“Find your own dream. Find it. Work at it. Over and over and over again,” Redick told the students. “Learn to love failure. Eventually, you won’t be afraid of failure.”
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