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One of Yoeli Childs’ secrets to basketball success? His mother. There’s no ‘sophomore slump’ to be spoken of for the BYU Basketball forward. He’s averaging 17.4 points per game and 8.6 rebounds. He’s shooting 54 percent from the field and averaging about 34 minutes per game. While the 2017-18 season is winding down, Childs sat down with TheW.tv reporter Sammy O’Brien to talk about his success, where it stems from, and his journey to BYU. Watch the interview below:
What's behind @yochilds22's success with @BYUbasketball? As @sobrien92 found out, much of the credit goes to his mom. pic.twitter.com/FZqKJnYzbh
— TheW.tv (@TheWtv) February 19, 2018
In it, Childs says he has been serious about basketball since the very young age of seven. On class assignments asking what students wanted to be when they grew up, he would always put “NBA All-Star,” and mean it. Childs talks about what a big role his mother Kara played in helping him pursue his basketball dreams.
Kara not only moved cities, but changed professions in order to better help Childs have the best chance he possibly could at playing basketball (and look at how it’s paid off). “She’s always put me and my brother ahead of herself,” Childs said about Kara. Childs attributes Kara with giving him the confidence that he’s needed to succeed.
When it came to Childs’ recruitment, BYU wanted him bad. While Kara was a proponent of her son leaving the state to gain some different experiences, Childs said that at the end of the day, BYU was just the perfect fit for him. Plus, being able to have his family attend every home game is an added benefit that he’s really enjoying, Childs says.
If for no other reason, tune in to the super sweet feature on Childs because of the adorable childhood pictures shown throughout.
Childs and the rest of the BYU Hoops squad will be back in action Thursday night against Portland.