Student-Athlete of the Week – Deonta Strange

Track and field jumper, CIF Champion basketball player, 3.6 student, and possibly the most popular kid at Shadow Hills High School. That’s right, I’m talking about Deonta Strange.

“I like talking to people, talking to everybody. I like getting to know people,” Strange said.

“He’s a very funny guy, he’s a very funny guy. He’s outgoing and he just loves life,” said Brian Wilson, his jumps coach.

Just two days after scoring 22 points in the state playoffs for basketball, he logged a personal record in his first track & field meet.

“What that tells me is, it’s not just what he does out here, it’s what he does when he’s at home also,” said Wilson. “He’s an overachiever. He tries to get the most out of what he has.”

Despite being tired with one season running into the next, his love for both sports is what keeps him motivated.

“I love doing track and being out here with all these people. It’s amazing,” Strange said. “Track is a different vibe from basketball. Basketball is more, extremely serious and track you get to talk to a lot of different people.”

His coach calls him a people-person, always willing to share his own knowledge with others.

“For example, we have a few underclassmen that don’t know the techniques of the jumps that he does, and so he’s actually willing to take them to the side on his own, communicate with them and try to help them out,” Wilson said.

As a senior, he became a more vocal leader. But, he’s led by example all along.

“For me, what I love about Deonta is his humble attitude,” Wilson said. “He hardly ever complains, all he does is work.”

“To get what you want, nothing’s easy in life, so you just have to work hard to get to the point where you want to be at,” Strange said.

Strange isn’t planning to play any sports in college, but he will be leaving California for school to pursue radiology, like his dad.