Amazing: Twin Basketball Stars are also Valedictorians

Marcos and Malcolm Allen are big shots, and they deserve every accolade they get.  The two boys are now 18-years old and headed to college.  That might be something to be proud of were it not for the fact that they’ve accomplished so much more.

Both of the young men have been chosen as valedictorians for their high school, graduating with a 4.8 grade point average.  This fall, they head to Stanford University, both with basketball scholarships.  It’s hard enough to be a division-I basketball player.  But to be valedictorian on top of that, along with your twin brother, well, that’s the kind of feat that may not be accomplished for another 50 years.

“It’s been a very long road, academically and athletically,” Marcos told Action News.

The twins graduated from Del Sol High School and are motivated to remind others of the importance of hard work and determination when it comes to achieving your goals.  Their mother, Trina Wiggins, graduated from Stanford University herself.   She says that if you want to be successful, you have to plan for it.

“You have to have a plan.You can’t just go day to day and think this is going to miraculously happen,” she said.

The twins put their plan for achievement together in the seventh grade and stuck with it.   They both started preparing for the SAT in middle school.   Now, they are preparing to reap lifetime benefits from their hard work and strong parenting they received from their mom.

“It all pays off and I feel like the earlier you start, the better you’ll end up,” said Malcolm.

Dr. Boyce Watkins, author of the book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College,” says that the story of the twins illustrates the important role of good parenting.

“The mother is the first teacher and the architect of your destiny,” says Dr. Watkins, who has taught college for the last 20 years.  ”If she does her job well, amazing things can happen.  But if she drops the ball, then it can be disastrous.  Having a strong male role model, preferably a dad, teaches young boys the principles of manhood, determination and hard work.”


Dr. Watkins also says that the twins illustrate that being athletically gifted is not any different from being academically gifted.

“The same motivation, discipline, consistency and intelligence it takes to become the next Kobe Bryant can also be applied toward becoming the next Bill Gates,” says Dr. Watkins.  ”It makes no sense that some young men choose to be geniuses on the court and losers off the court.  That is highly inconsistent.”

After playing basketball for Stanford and finishing college, the two young men hope to one day play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Source: http://www.blackbluedog.com/2013/07/news/amazing-twin-basketball-stars-are-also-valedictorians/