This letter was submitted by Carson Puriefoy, a senior guard on the men’s basketball team. 

I’m not going to lie, it was a difficult journey. When I came in as a freshman, I thought I knew it all. I thought I was ready to play college basketball. Just like everyone else who plays college sports, I wanted to make an impact as a freshman.

Looking back on it now, I wasn’t ready to play. Everyone was bigger, faster, stronger. I knew I would have to adjust my playing style in order to be successful. I’m glad I did because I was able to contribute and give the team a spark off the bench.

I think my confidence started to pick up when I started four games. A.J. [Anthony Jackson] was hurt. I was nervous. I had never played at that kind of level where you had to keep up the intensity on both ends. It was a big adjustment that took time but I’m glad I went through it.

I was fortunate to be in a good situation. We had the best team on paper. Tommy [Brenton] was a senior and we had a lot of good pieces. We won the regular season. As a young kid, I was lucky to have some of the older guys teach me the ropes. Now I’m one of the older guys on team giving advice to the younger guys.

I’ve taken away a lot during my time here. Probably time management being one of the biggest life skills. You have to balance school work with your basketball responsibilities and social life. It’s hard to do, but it’s something you have to be good at if you want to succeed in life.

It’s definitely crossed my mind that it’s my senior year, but the season hasn’t started yet. Jameel and I and Ray know what’s at stake. We gotta finish what we started.

I’ll remember the great experiences I’ve had with the guys. From playing in Pritchard for two years and the exciting games in there to moving downstairs to the Arena, it’s all been great. Playing games in front of thousands of fans to games on TV are some of the things I’ll remember. We got to go to Europe.

I’m thankful for my coaches, teammates and the fans who’ve supported us over the last three seasons. Go Seawolves.