Jacob Lefebvre admits keeping up with his passion for basketball was tough during COVID-19.
"When COVID-19 hit it was definitely a tough time," the 16-year-old Chippewa student admitted.
"But we ended up putting a net up in a dusty old shop building and I worked out there. My friend John and I would go get shots up there until the snow melted. When the weather was nice, we would haul a net to an empty rink in the trailer or we would go to schools so we could shoot on their nets and just work on our game while getting as many shots up as possible.
Mother Nature or a pandemic could not stop Lefebvre from doing what he loves.
"We played in the dust, rain, snow, and wind," he said.
"There was never an excuse to not work hard and do what we could to stay in shape and practice."
Lefebvre says once the world started to open up, he jumped on any opportunity he could find to keep playing.
That includes some very early mornings at the YMCA gym.
"I have spent a lot of hours in the gym," said Lefebvre, who played club basketball with the North Bay Spartans the past four seasons.
"I also wake up at 5 in the morning to go to the Y before school to get up shots. Every chance I get I am playing."
Despite the inability to play games for more than a year, the 6'0" guards hard work is paying off.
Earlier this summer, Lefebvre was invited to play for a southern Ontario club team from Durham Region at an international tournament in Portugal which his team was representing Canada at the international event.
Local pro player Joey Puddister and Nipissing Lakers Varsity Men's Basketball coach Thomas Cory, helped connect Lefebvre to this opportunity.
"Portugal was a crazy experience, he said.
"It was very fun and an amazing country. Everyone was really nice, and they have a lot of fun cheering in the stands and playing on the court. It was good to play with guys who were bigger and better than me because that’s how you really improve in the game, so it was a great experience all around. I have new goals from the experience, and I am looking forward to going back."
Lefebvre is training with East Prep and attended another international event in Waterdown, New York for the Thousand Islands International Basketball Tournament.
This Fall, Lefebvre plans to move to Oshawa where he will continue to play for East Prep and the DK Dragons.
"There are some more trips planned to go overseas that I am really excited about," he said.
"I am playing in a prep circuit, and we play against other prep teams, as well as club ball."
Lefebvre hopes all the experience will help him achieve his goal of someday playing professional basketball.
"I want to play pro," he said.
"There are different leagues out there, but I just want to be a professional basketball player. Right now, I am trying to stay focused on growing and developing while keeping my vision and goals in mind. I am excited to be playing a lot of basketball, getting to know my teammates, and travelling to some cool places in different countries and cities.
"I’m very excited about this opportunity and can't wait to see how I develop."
