The pressure is off for Bluffton guard Jameel Cosby as he nears the prestigious 1,000-point mark in basketball.
Jameel Cosby, a senior guard for the Bluffton University Men’s Basketball Team is approaching the 1,000-point mark for the 2021-22 season. Photo by Olivia Daugherty
“I had never touched 1,000 in high school,” Cosby said. “I wouldn’t say it’s much pressure, but more like an exciting thing to get this year.”
Cosby, a sport management and business double-major from Springfield, Ohio, averaged 15.8 points per game during the 2020-2021 season and is sitting at 765 career points as he enters his senior year. He was named First Team All-Heartland Conference during his junior campaign, a feat only shared with nine other players in the conference.
Cosby’s goals for the season include having a winning season and making the conference tournament. Last season, the Beavers concluded their season with an 11-5 record at the Heartland Conference tournament. It was the fourth consecutive year the Beavers qualified for the tournament.
Cosby’s abilities on the court helped lead the Beavers to the accomplishments they had last season.
Bluffton University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Guy Neal in his office. Photo by Olivia Daugherty
“Jameel is a high-level athlete at the NCAA Division III level for men’s basketball,” said Guy Neal, head men’s basketball coach for the Beavers. “He has outstanding quickness, speed and jumping ability.”
According to Neal, Cosby’s hard work has helped him become a great student of basketball.
“He’s a very team-orientated, unselfish person,” Neal explained. “The combination of his athletic ability, his skill level, his mental understanding of the game and being an unselfish, team-oriented player —when you add those four things up, that’s a recipe for a very good college player.”
For Cosby, playing college basketball was a dream come true his senior year of high school when Bluffton reached out to him.
“I wanted to play college ball, but I never really talked to anybody,” Cosby said. “Bluffton reached out to me, and I came on a visit. When I stepped on [campus], I realized it was the right decision.”
Cosby’s inspirations through life are his parents and his uncle, who taught him how to overcome difficulties.
“Growing up with them and seeing the adversity they have overcome in life and how they have changed,” Cosby said. “It has inspired me to continue to do what I do. Them being behind me has inspired me to be great.”
As a leader for a youthful Beaver basketball team, Cosby advises young athletes to fight through hardships to find their own successes in sport.
“Just keep going. You’re going to face adversity because college has long seasons for any sport,” Cosby said. “Just stay humble and your time will come.”
The Beavers will start their season on Nov. 9 at Alma.
