Just play the game. That?s Eric Atkins? secret, a phrase the Mount St. Joseph sophomore tells himself before every game.
The saying has special meaning to Atkins ? it?s what his father, William Atkins, always told him. William, known to friends and family as Bill, died last summer after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and three sons.
The youngest, Eric, is driven to live up to the hopes of the man who installed a work ethic in him at an early age.
“My father passing made me want to work extremely harder,” Eric Atkins said. “Seeing everything my mother went through this past summer, it made me want to work harder.”
So far it?s worked. The 6-foot-2, 160-pound point guard has emerged as the area?s best underclassman guard by leading the top-ranked Gaels to a record of 19-2 playing one of the region?s toughest schedules.
“He?s definitely getting some interest from the ACC and Big East level,” Gaels coach Pat Clatchey said. “I think college coaches are certainly aware of who he is and what type of player he is.”
Atkins? early favrorites in a recruiting process that likely will keep getting bigger are Georgetown, Duke and Maryland.
Atkins, who Clatchey said has some room to grow physically, was named second-team All-Examiner last season, but he?s been even better this season. He is averaging about 14 points, five assists and three steals per game, and running an offense that features 6-foot-11 senior center Henry Sims, who will play for Georgetown next year.
“The main thing is keeping the tradition going,” Atkins said, looking up at the numerous championship banners in Mount St. Joe?s gym. “You don?t want to be the team that falls off and makes the school look down on you. You want to keep the tradition up. It?s a responsibility to play here.”
His work ethic hasn?t gone unnoticed.
“I think he, deep down, wants to become the best player he can be,” Clatchey said. “He?s willing to do whatever it takes to reach that level.”
And for Atkins, that meant taking an unconventional route to the Baltimore County private school. Before attending Mount St. Joseph, he was home-schooled so he improve his basketball skills and conditioning with his father for up to four hours a day. William Atkins stressed fundamentals, and Eric continues to carry that message today. His ultimate goal is to lead the Gaels to Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League titles, in addition to becoming a McDonald?s All-American by his senior year.
“The only hard thing for all of us is that my husband isn?t here to see all the hard work he?s put in with Eric. He sees him from above,” said Dominique Atkins, Eric?s mom. “Eric has always had a good work ethic. This is just scratching the surface at this point.”
