KEYSHAWN STRICKLAND, ‘ALL AMERICAN ATHLETE’ TALKS ABOUT HIS JOURNEY FROM TROUBLED YOUTH TO DOING THE RIGHT THING
Young people need something constructive to do with their free time. The youth at SQ are no different — if not directed to a right path they will most likely gather and find something destructive to do with their free time, either to themselves or to someone else.
In their defense, for young people coming fresh from the streets positive choices can be elusive, especially if negativity is all they are used to seeing in their neighborhoods and families.
Imagine having a plethora of energy compressed inside of you with nowhere to go — eventually, it will have to escape. The answer to that dilemma was something that the San Quentin Warriors’ star point guard, Keyshawn “Steez” Strickland, had to find. He had to learn to manage that energy to keep his idle time from misdirecting his life. How did he do it?
Timothy Hicks: Hey young “Steez,” say was sup to the people.
Keyshawn Strickland: Was sup people.
TH: So, I brought you here because I noticed how you are now taking advantage of the programs, and it looks good to me to see you young dudes wanting to better yourselves. Being that you are the most promising point guard for the SQ Warriors, I wanted to highlight you.
KS: Thanks man. That’s cool.
TH: No problem. Tell me a little bit about you. What city you from and did you play any other sports when you were out there?
KS: Yeah, I did. I played football, basketball, and baseball in Sacramento where I’m from.
TH: You obviously were good at them?
KS: I was. I was the star player at my school. I was in the local newspaper every week, and I was being scouted by colleges too.
TH: Really. That’s big. Why you didn’t pursue college?
KS: I let my pride get in the way. There was this certain college that wanted me, but I wanted to go to a different one. And since it was not the one of my choice, I turned it down.
TH: Did anything else happen after that?
KS: Yeah, I took a break from school. I already was not the ideal student, so when I took that year off, that was the worst decision. My girl got pregnant and it was all downhill from there.
TH: Yeah, I get it. It’s a trip how the decisions we make can alter our lives for better or for worse. So tell me, how did your jail and prison life happen?
KS: That was the worst thing that could of happened to me. I was running the streets out there, doing things that I shouldn’t of been doing, and the result of a sudden decision caused me to come to prison.
TH: Them streets can rob us if we not focused. After you made it to prison, what made you want to come to SQ?
KS: I was at another prison and I was reading the SQNews when I saw that the Golden State Warriors was coming up here. I was determined to get here after that. Miraculously, I was transferred here. I was glad of that.
TH: How did you get on the SQ Warriors?
KS: I was on the court playing and someone told Coach JB of my skills. Long story short, he put me on the team.
TH: Did you get into more trouble. I did notice a time that you were missing in action?
KS: Yeah, I went to the hole for something that I did not do. But I’m grateful that I did, because being there made me realize something here that I needed to take advantage of. That’s why you see me participating in all the groups like the Mentorship and Youth Offender Program, YOP. It was an eye opener. Just like basketball is to me.
TH: That’s good to see you develop on the court and off.
—Timothy Hicks
