On the morning of January 17th, 2026, I woke up incredibly ill, with a temperature of nearly 100 degrees, and I was bedridden for the entire day before. I was certain that I would be in for another day in bed; however, there was something that inspired me to get out of the house. The night before, I had heard Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell tease in an interview after a win against the Philadelphia 76ers that he was potentially heading to the St. Edward Eagles and Glenville Tarblooders Varsity Basketball game the following evening. While I was feeling incredibly ill, I had a gut-wrenching feeling that I had to attend the Varsity Glenville-Ed’s basketball game that evening, as I knew the possibility was very strong that I could interview Donovan Mitchell. My parents also knew this was a very strong possibility, as they had both told me that they sensed a special evening was about to take place. With this strong feeling, I mustered enough strength to travel to Jim Connors Court on a cold, chilly day in Lakewood, Ohio. This gut feeling my parents and I had ended up being proven true, as after moving through an enormous crowd of fans during halftime at the game, I was able to interview then 6x NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who was incredibly gracious and took time to talk about how much he values supporting the next generation of basketball players. That next generation of basketball players would put on an incredible show in front of a sold-out crowd, as the Varsity Eagles would beat Glenville in a barn-burner, with a final score of 70-64, for the Eagles’ third consecutive victory. When the dust finally settled, I was astonished by what had taken place at Jim Connors Court that evening. Just four years prior, I was a 15-year-old freshman who had a dream of one day becoming a Sports broadcaster. However, at the time, I did not think that opportunity would come up for several years. Nonetheless, here I was as a now 18-year-old Senior, nearly four years later, having just interviewed one of the biggest names in the NBA. While I may have been under the weather on that drive home on January 17th, 2026, I was ecstatic inside, as I now realized that by interviewing Donovan Mitchell, having a broadcasting career for myself was no longer a pipe dream.
Special Thanks To:
Donovan Mitchell
Neo Productions Owners Chris Mendoza, St. Edward High School Class of 2025 & Adam Mendoza, “Voice of the Eagles”.
