While growing up in Florida, Jermaine Odjegba [pictured at left] had a unique love for playing basketball. Not only did he love it, he was also fortunate to be very good at it. His ultimate goal was to one-day play basketball professionally. As his life has played out, however, his dreams have taken a bit of a turn.
Fortunately for Jermaine, a door opened for him at a young age to play the sport he loves. Throughout his high school years he was a star player on his team. His performance on the court grabbed the attention of a prestigious university.
"During my senior year, I was recruited to play basketball for BYU in Provo. This was awesome for me, I was so excited to be on that team," said Jermaine of the opportunity which automatically put him one step closer to attaining his dream of playing professional basketball.
It did more than just that though, it also provided him a unique chance to earn a top quality education: Jermaine explained when he arrived in Provo, he was surprised by the kind of attention he received. "Being on the basketball team in Provo was strange because people treated me like a celebrity," he said.
But one person who took him at face value was Shauna Sawyer. Being from a small town in Utah, she was not particularly impressed with the celebrity status Jermaine received.
"The only reason I thought it was cool that Jermaine played basketball is because I have always loved playing sports, too. What impressed me way more than the fact that he played on the BYU basketball team were his high moral standards that were so obvious to everyone," she said.
Shauna Sawyer is the woman who slightly changed the direction of Jermaine's passionate ambitions. "We just clicked right when we met," Jermaine said. "She was so easy to talk to and we got along really well. There was just something special about her."
They soon fell in love and were married on a beautiful summer day.
Before long, there was another big change that was around the corner for them. This one however, would give Jermaine and even larger perspective on life and the greatness of Heavenly Father's plan for his children. "When my baby, Jelani, was born, it was amazing. The most incredible feeling! I could get a small feeling of how great Heavenly Father's love is for His children."
While Jermaine still has ambitions to play professional basketball, his priorities have made a bit of a turn around. "I love playing basketball, I love the fans and I love the excitement, but that definitely comes second to my family. There is no success or joy that I could possibly have on a basketball court that would even come close to the joy that I feel when I am with my wife and son," he said.
He would love to play basketball as long as he can, but it is no longer his fondest dream. "Basketball is great, but I know that I can't play it forever. I can be with my family forever though, and that is definitely where I want to put my greatest efforts."
While Jermaine continues to star on the BYU-Hawaii basketball team, he is also majoring in international business management. In fact, he plans on taking his degree and working somehow with professional athletics. "I would love to always be connected to basketball, whether it's playing, doing advertisements or marketing for it."
One quality Jermaine obviously possesses is persistence and the ability to put in the extra effort to gain success. His coach, Ken Wagner, is particularly keen on that special quality. "One thing that really stands out and impresses me with Jermaine is how hard of a worker he is. I'd call him our blue-collar worker. He was the one that got down in the trenches and worked in defense. He set a great foundation for the team," Wagner said.
As Jermaine's son, Jelani, grows into a young man, he will likely take notice of his father's hard work and learn through his example that changing dreams simply means evolving priorities. And that is where true happiness is found.
— Photos by Megan Smith