Bobby Sharafeddin, an outstanding basketball player and student, graduated from Barrie in 2002. He is currently a senior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where he has started every game this season. His academic workload is particularly intensive because he is a pre-med student and is majoring in economics with minors in business management and entrepreneurship. I did not know Bobby personally, because I was an eighth grader when he was a senior at Barrie. However, as a frequent fan at basketball games, he always greeted me when we passed each other on campus. Four years later I am now a senior entering my own PVAC tournament and last semester of high school. Bobby had only one piece of advice for me, the old fan, “Play [and act] in a way so that you’ll have no regrets.” These brief yet wise few words were what Bobby seemed to live by while he was at Barrie and he left behind a lasting legacy.

For me, there is one moment that epitomized the talent and excitement that Bobby Sharafeddin brought to the basketball court every time he touched the floor. It occurred during a game at Hebrew Academy when Bobby, along with the rest of Barrie’s varsity team, was in the middle of a semi-final game in the PVAC tournament. Hebrew Academy jumped out to an early lead and their team’s energy as well as the intense crowd made an upset seem imminent. However, Bobby put an end to any doubters of Barrie when he calmly dribbled down court, created separation with a crossover, and knocked down a huge three-pointer from close to five feet beyond the arch. He then took a quick glance at the Hebrew Academy crowd and coolly placed a finger on his mouth, silencing them and indicating that this senior captain was not going to let his team lose.

That year, Barrie’s varsity men’s basketball team was undefeated in the PVAC, won the PVAC championship, and achieved a top-ten ranking in the Washington Post. This was largely because of the outstanding play by Bobby, who transferred from Kennedy to Barrie before his sophomore year. During his time at Barrie, Bobby was named 1 st Team PVAC All Conference three times, received All-Met honorable mention during his senior year, and amassed more points (1,533) in three years than anyone else in Barrie’s history. Nevertheless, Bobby’s accomplishments at Barrie extended past the court and into the classrooms.

In spite of the considerable amount of time Bobby committed to basketball, he still received solid grades and was an upstanding citizen in the community. How? Bobby credits it to Barrie’s influential faculty, students, and learning environment. When talking to Bobby, he mentioned that Barrie’s philosophy of having accessible teachers was such an important part of his education. The teachers were not only available for Bobby when he requested help, but they also pursued him if he was struggling or not living up to his potential. Sure, it was annoying at the time, but Bobby realizes this approach to learning instilled an academic drive in him that he holds as priceless to this day. After his first test in college, he translated one of Barrie’s most important messages to its students at the college level: if you need help, go and get it. Immediately after receiving a disappointing score, Bobby asked his professor how he could improve for future assignments. Bobby believes that, “he probably would not have gone for help if it weren’t for [his experiences at] Barrie.” Bobby knows that his ability to confidently approach his college professors is because of his countless encounters with Barrie faculty.

Bobby added that his years at Barrie were even more enjoyable because of the many friendships he developed with his peers. Winning the PVAC championship on a team filled with close friends made the experience incredibly special.  Bobby also emphasized that the individual who had the largest impact on him at Barrie was his basketball coach, Darnell Myers. Coach Myers refused to allow his players to give anything less than their best on the court and in the classrooms. Bobby only had nice things to say about his former coach and he believed that Coach Myers’ commitment to the game and dedication to his players resulted in the exceptional season during Bobby’s senior year.  When asked whether his college coach was as intense as Coach Myers, Bobby declined to answer but hinted, “it is hard for any coach at any level to be as intense as Coach Myers.”         

Four years after winning a PVAC championship, Bobby is still flourishing and still playing basketball, just now he has bigger crowds to silence. Hopkins has won their annual Invitational every year Bobby has attended the university and, for the last two years, Bobby has been named to the all-tournament team. Although Hopkins’ record reflects the success they have had this year, as of late, it has struggled; Hopkins has dropped their last three games in a row. The most recent loss to Franklin and Marshall (the season finale) brings their record to13-5 in the Centennial conference and 17-7 overall.

Their loss to Franklin and Marshall was particularly crucial because it hurt Hopkins’ chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the at-large bid can be considered trivial if they win their league’s Centennial Tournament (February 25th), which gives them an automatic space in the NCAA tournament. While Bobby’s athletic achievements on the collegiate level are very impressive, he continues to excel academically with a demanding workload. After graduating, Bobby is deciding between numerous medical schools but would gladly continue playing basketball if he is offered a chance to play in a professional league. In the more recent future, Bobby will be focusing on Hopkins’ opening game in the Centennial Tournament against Gettysburg, a team they lost to twice during the year.

As a player, student, and person, Bobby mentioned a quote that he has followed closely ever since he learned it from Coach Myers: “Put yourself in a position to succeed, and then you’ll have to be successful.”  Bobby tries to let it guide him even now, during his last months at Johns Hopkins.  It is easy to see that Bobby has been following this adage and anybody who listens to his desire to excel and understands his work ethic will expect this Barrie alum to continue to find great success in his future.