by Rusty Ellis
Cookeville senior Josh Heard made his commitment to Lincoln Memorial official on Wednesday, as he signed his national letter of intent to play basketball for the Railsplitters upon graduation.
It’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Heard, as he says he’s believed since he was younger that playing college basketball was a possibility for him.
“I kind of knew after I went on my first visit, I just knew this is where I wanted to be,” Heard said. “I just told them that it was perfect…I didn’t know when I wanted to make it official, but I just thought now was the perfect time.”
When it came to making the decision to commit, Heard says he saw a lot of similarities in the way LMU and Cookeville each run their offense, and he felt that made him a natural fit.
“The play-type, because when I went there, I played with them and watched film with them,” Heard said. “I’m really just leaving here and going and playing the same type of basketball…the coaches were right there with the players. They’re right there with them at every step, they work with them, so I just knew it was the perfect place for me.”
And his head coach and father also believes the same thing, adding that it’s a blessing to see his son follow in his footsteps and play college basketball.
“This is a crazy day for me, I remember when I first started coaching Josh and his younger brother Jalen, they were in fifth grade,” said CHS head coach Josh Heard. “I can remember when he was just running around the basketball court in the fifth grade, but to have him have the opportunity to continue his basketball career, his education career, it means a lot to me…he’s going to be a leader for us this year.”
The elder Heard saw his son’s love for the school firsthand on their visit, and he knew it was an easy decision to make.
“You would’ve thought he was already on the team, because that’s how he’s always played basketball,” Heard said. “The coaching staff made us feel like family, they made the players that were already there feel like family…just being able to do something I did and I know how much it meant to me, I hope it means a lot to him. We’re blessed.”
As far as what he’s going to miss about playing for Cookeville, Heard says it’s the bonds he’s built with his teammates since their junior high days.
“(I’ll miss) playing with the guys I’ve been playing with since we were in eighth grade,” Heard said. “I think that’s what I’ll miss the most, it’s my home…I’m just looking forward to taking that next step, because I knew since I was little that I wanted to play college basketball.”
