Announcements
Becoming a Raptor
June 10, 2025
The greatest athletes to watch are the ones who play because they love the game, and no one at Green Chimneys loves the game of basketball more than Yousef.
Yousef joined the Raptors varsity basketball team in the winter of 2023 as a 6th grader who was fairly new to Green Chimneys. He could tell you every stat on NBA star Steph Curry, and showed intense passion for the game but as a new player and of smaller stature, it was challenging to make an impact on the court. This didn’t stop Yousef. He practiced hard, listened to his coaches and used the season to improve his skills in any way that he could.
Basketball Fan to Basketball Star
When the 2024 season began, Yousef emerged as Green Chimneys’ own version of Steph Curry! During one mid-season game, Yousef was untouchable; in an exciting two-minute span, he scored five shots in a row from the floor, four of them from behind the 3-point line. Fast-forward to the current season and Yousef is the veteran player on the team. His maturity on the floor has flourished, and he’s the guy you want to have the ball in his hands.
What makes Yousef’s story unique is before he arrived at Green Chimneys, he had little interest in sports at all. Yousef’s 5th grade year in his home district had been his most difficult, defined by struggles with peers and increased frustration about school. In hindsight, part of Yousef’s problem was lack of a healthy outlet for his physical energy and intense emotions.
Yousef’s mother, Wajiha, feels that the Green Chimneys environment changed everything. “The small class size, the farm, and the natural setting helped Yousef find himself,” she says. But it was the gravitational pull of the basketball court outside of his classroom that captured Yousef’s attention, and it became a vital resource for channeling his energy.
Holistic Impact
Yousef’s success in basketball has spilled over into all aspects of his life; academics, friends, and family have become pillars of strength. If you ask what he loves most about basketball he says, “It’s the perfect game to play on your own or with a group of friends.” The kid who came to Green Chimneys frustrated and lacking the skills to build friendships has turned into a strong, thriving young man with a team–and a community–assembled around him.
There were no shortcuts to Yousef’s success. He embodies the notion that if you set high goals and work toward them every day, there is no telling how far you can go. No matter the time of year or the weather, Yousef is putting in the work to get better at what he loves. According to Coaches Gary Smith and John Boyle, the only real problem is getting Yousef out of the gym and onto his bus after practice. He even persuaded his parents to have two outdoor basketball hoops at his house so he can keep up his skills at home. How far basketball takes Yousef is yet to be seen but there may come a time when Steph Curry has nothing on Yousef!
Team sports are just one of the after-school recreational programs and therapeutic activities that support student development. see the broad range of activities students can get involved with
