“Pass me the ball, you know I won’t be able to leave without making this shot,” senior Ahmad Gibson says, as he leaves Weber Recreational Center, where he practices basketball during the off season.

It’s summer 2013 — before school starts, before most of Niles West has even started to think about basketball season. Gibson is already spending hours and hours in the gym, perfecting his shot, running drills.

“Sometimes I just don’t want to, but then I remember how many hours and days and months and years I put into basketball and it just makes me want it even more. I can’t give up, I won’t allow it to happen,” Gibson said.

This season will be Gibson’s fourth year returning to varsity and second year as captain. He intends to bring and use his skills on the court this Saturday, Dec. 7 against the Niles North Vikings in the breast cancer awareness game.

“The West vs. North game is a great competitive game,” Gibson said. “The teams are both willing to fight till the very end, but clearly only one team will take the win, which tends to be Niles West. This being my last time playing North has made me realize that time really does fly. I wish there was a rewind button, but only the best team will go home with the win at the end of Saturday night.”

Countless morning practices. Sleepless nights. It’s all worth it to Gibson–he is willing to put in the amount of hours it takes to be the best he can be.

“The practices are brutal, but it helps the team in the long run. We push each other every practice to become better and better, it prepares the team for games,” he said.

According to head coach Bob Williams, Ahmad is good with handling the ball, which is why Williams has him play combo guard.

“Ahmad is extremely confident when it comes to handling the ball.  Freshman year he was very timid, but now you can see that he has grown and made changes with himself,” Williams said.

At the end of his sophomore year, Ahmad started receiving college offers and recruits started to scout him for basketball scholarships because he prioritizes his honors and AP classes over his business on the court.

“I couldn’t be any more proud of my son,” Percy Gibson said, Ahmad’s father, who taught him how to play the game. “He has worked hard and trained to be the best that he can be. Now it’s his job to try and stay focused and push himself even when I can’t be around anymore to help him push himself, but I have no doubt in my mind he will exceed everyone’s expectations, even his own.”

Gibson began his love for the game almost at the age of four, when his father put a basketball in his hands.

“It came naturally, it was like I was always meant to be a basketball player,” Ahmad Gibson said.

The longest Ahmad has gone without playing basketball was for two weeks this past summer. It was a minor setback in his basketball career because of a heart condition. With only two weeks away from a court and a ball, Ahmad describes how painful and horrid it was for him in those 14 days. Although he couldn’t play, he still supported his West teammates throughout the off-season to prepare for the season that would await them.

Ahmad pushes himself to do better every time he walks out on the court. Nothing can stifle his passion for the game.

“Games? Those have to be the best. Not only do I get to prove to other players that I’ve earned and worked for my spot but I get to do what I do best: Play basketball. It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.

This will be Ahmad’s senior year, which also means his last year returning to the Niles West basketball program.

“This is it. When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful. I live by that quote. This is a very crucial point in my basketball career. I’ve never wanted anything this badly,” he said.

Williams, who has been Ahmad’s coach for the past four years, says they have shared a bond that can’t be broken.

“As a coach it is a wonderful thing to see your athlete grow as an individual, Ahmad is a leader, and being captain two years in a row is very rare. He makes sure the team gets what needs to be done, done,” Williams said.

Ahmad’s teammates said they looked up to him because he presents himself as a leader and a role model.

“Ahmad is a very intelligent player, his ambition for basketball and the amount of hours he puts into being the best he can be, could have him get scholarships D1 for basketball. It’s great to see my friend grow as a leader and as a person,” co-captain and senior Romeo Magloire said.

“Ahmad is willing to do whatever it takes to be the best,” sophomore teammate Jojo Rios added.

Though Ahmad pushes himself to the absolute limit to become a better basketball player–which can be very mentally and physically testing– it’s not a coincidence that he feels at his best as he works on perfecting his craft.

“Basketball clears my mind,” he said. “I can always pick up a ball when I’m happy, sad, upset. When I’m playing, I feel free like I have no worries, it’s my way to separate myself from everything else that is going on in my life.”