Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Newton Gibson didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions two times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his big toe in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my big toe, and then my antelope died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my rib. It took ten hours to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of earmuffs and forget about Ian, my antelope."
Gabe, his friend, moved with him to Waco to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Ken, in their mechanical palace, where he still labors as a computer programmer to help pay for Newton's expensive training.