So proud of my little man for being named the Sampson Weeklys Athlete of the Week!! Union’s Cole Bass: A Star in the Making * 12-year-old standout named Star Athlete of the Week Just last weekend, Sampson County native Cole Bass delivered a stellar performance with his travel team, the Clinton All-Stars. The 12-year-old Bass delivered a solid performance from the mound, featuring his 63 mph fastball, and went 3-3 with two triples and a homerun in the first tournament of the summer for the team. “I did pretty good,” Bass said. “Our team did really well.” Bass, who has been named this week’s Performance Auto/ Sampson Weekly Star Athlete of the Week, has been a busy athlete this season, winning back-to-back recreation championships. On June 26, his recreation baseball club, The Southern Reds, won the Recreation Department’s Championship and during basketball season, Cole’s team won the department’s Basketball Championship Tournament with the Southern Maryland team. “It has been a lot of fun,” he said. “It makes me really proud to have the opportunity to play and be part of some really good teams … I get a chance to play with all of my friends that I have played with for years and that is the best part of playing.” Cole, who will begin seventh grade at Union Middle School in the fall, said that playing with the teammates that he has been friends with for so many years has helped in more ways than he can count. “Well, first and foremost, we are all friends,” he said, “and we have been playing together for a long time. We all have great friendships together, which is the best part. But another thing is that we have been playing together for so long, when we are on the field we all know our strengths and weaknesses. When you are playing like that for so long, I think that it helps in the end; it makes you better as a team.” Born to Brad and Amy Bass, Cole said that he has loved sports ever since he can remember. “My parents were always involved with sports, especially my dad,” he stated. “My mom has always been pretty athletic as well, so I just remember always being around sports. My whole life, I just remember loving it.” His mother agrees. “Brad and I knew from the first T-Ball game Cole played, that he was going to be athletic,” Amy said. “He just had that natural ease when participating in sports. We have helped develop his abilities from the very beginning by working with him at home. We have spent countless hours, in our front yard, teaching him to correctly throw, catch and tackle to be ready for football, throwing, catching, stopping and hitting baseballs to improve baseball abilities … From an early age, Cole had an almost perfect shooting form. We would shoot basketball, for hours at a time, to develop his shot, teach him how to rebound, dribble and play defense.” Amy said that Cole has continued to put in the hard work it takes to better his abilities. “He has attended the Mark Gottfried basketball camp, at N.C. State, for the past two years,” she explained. “We can definitely tell that his skills have improved since attending this camp. This year, he was put with the high school group at camp, and did an outstanding job holding his on with boys that range in age from 14-17; Cole is only 12. Each year, he has received good or excellent on his abilities on an evaluation provided by his camp coach. He also takes pitching lessons every Saturday from an excellent pitching coach. His pitching has greatly improved since we started lessons … Our dream for Cole is his dream as well. He would love to play football, basketball or baseball for N.C. State. We are supporting this dream by providing him with all the resources possible to develop his abilities into collegiate skills.” “I love playing baseball, but I really love playing football,” Cole said. “I also like basketball, but football is my favorite.” “Cole is self-motivated in developing his skills by weight lifting, shooting basketball at home or either going to the gym or asking us to take him to the baseball field to practice pitching and hitting,” adds his mother Amy. For right now though, Cole said he is eagerly anticipating getting involved with the Spartan Middle School athletic teams. “They don’t let you play in sixth grade,” he said. “I am excited to play on the middle school teams too.” The coaches are too. Standing at 6’1”, 140 pounds Cole plays center and forward on the court; and plays quarterback, tight-end and defensive end on the football field … His size alone for a 12-year-old is intimidating. “I am a big fan of Phillip Rivers,” he admits. “I guess you would say he is my sports idol because I love his style of play. I am a big N.C. State fan … I like the (San Diego) Chargers, but my favorite NFL team is the Carolina Panthers.” His dream is to follow in Rivers’ footsteps. “I would love to one day play professional football,” Cole said. “I want to go to college, of course, N.C. State and I would love to play at Carter-Finley Stadium. That would really be a dream of mine.” That dream is supported by his parents. “We stay very busy making sure Cole is doing what he loves, playing ball,” adds Amy. “With all the time we spend away from home, he still maintains an ‘A’ average in his school work. So not only are we very proud of what he has and will accomplish as an athlete, we are very proud of his academic success as well. We stress the importance of keeping his grades up in order to play in college.” However, the straight ‘A’ student, who says is favorite subject is Social Studies, said that he knows playing in the National Football League is a dream, which is why he plans on continuing to take his parent’s advice and always gain as much knowledge as he can. “I would really love to play in college and in the pros,” he said. “But for some reason if that does not work out, I really want to be a farmer, like my granddaddy (Mike Bass). For years now, I have helped him during the summers on his farm and I have learned a lot. There is just something I love about it.” He said that no matter what happens after college or in the pros, Cole said that he plans on living in Sampson County. “It is my home,” he said, “it is where my family is. I am sure that no matter what happens in the future, I will come back here.” When he is not playing sports or working with his grandfather on the farm, Cole said that he enjoys watching sports on television, shooting basketball, fishing with his family or hanging with his friends. “But pretty much I am playing sports,” he said with a laugh. When asked if he had a piece of advice for an athlete who may be nervous about trying out for a sports team, Cole says without hesitation, “It comes down to hard work. You just have to get out there, put your head down and do it. Just get out there and just try it … and no matter what you do, just do the best that you can do. After that, everything will be OK.” Especially in the Union District. “People are great here,” he said about the southern part of the county. “They are very supportive and everyone tries to help each other.” Some have been instrumental in his upbringing. “I just want to thank my mom and dad and all my family,” he said. “This is a great honor for me and I have to thank them … My coaches, Don and Doug Burley for helping me and also my pitching coach David Knowles. All of them have given and continue to give me the tools that help me become a better person and a better athlete. I am just very thankful to all of them.” Adds his mother, “Cole is an all-around great kid. He makes us proud every day! We will continue to do whatever it takes, on our part, so that he will one day wear a jersey for the N.C. State Wolfpack.” And all of us in Sampson County will be cheering him on.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:25:51 +0000
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