When Perry Gibson, the Planters Bank Player of the Week, joined the O’Bannon High School baseball team four years ago, he had not played baseball in five years.
Yet even then, O’Bannon head baseball coach Nathan Kennedy knew what Gibson could be.
Coach Nathan said he saw a young man with a good head on his shoulders, and a young man willing to work hard everyday.
“He was a youngster with a lot of character, and he has showed leadership ever since he has been here,” Coach Kennedy said. “When he first got here the only thing that he could really do was run. Now, he is a complete player, and he is college material.”
Gibson, now a senior, said he owes a lot of his success on the diamond to his coach.
“Coach Kennedy can take a player who has never played baseball and turn them into a star,” Gibson said. “My batting average when I was a ninth grader was .000. Then, just one year later, I batted .283.”
“Coach Kennedy did whatever he could to help me become a better player. He would take days off in the summer just to work with us. He would help us during the weekends. Whatever it took.”
Ever since he could remember, Gibson has always strived to be his best so he could excel, at both in baseball and in the classroom. He currently has a grade point average that ranks him near the top of his class.
“It has always been important to me to live up to expectations,” Gibson said. “It is something that keeps me working hard.”
And, when Gibson walks down the aisle to graduate soon, he said he feels ready to face the challenges of the world, thanks to the help he received from his parents, teachers and coaches.
“Before I leave though, I want to help lead my team to a successful season. The team I am on is very close, and it is like no team I have played on before,” he said.
