Many La Sallian student athletes are pounded all year with rigid practice schedules, rigorous training regimens, regular tournaments, and a hefty academic load and these manage to take up most, if not all, of their time. With this in mind, it is very unusual to find a student athlete officially in the line-up for two sports. Many shy away from participating in just one sport because of the fear that they would no longer have free time so quite naturally, playing for two teams is deemed to be impossible.
Simultaneously playing for both La Salle’s basketball and football teams, Lady Archer and Lady Booter Niky Scott defies the common belief that being a member of two varsity teams is impossible. What makes this more impressive for Scott is that she performs remarkably well with both sports and does not just warm the bench for both teams.
Whether on the grassy football field or the hardwood basketball court, this fourth year AB-Sports Management (AB-SPM) major stands out because of her exceptional individual talent, laudable team skills, and mental aptitude in both sports.
She wasn’t always a dual athlete though and this Filipino-American first got engaged in the Filipino favorite basketball before she decided to take up football, Europe’s favorite game. “I started playing basketball first at the age of eight,” shares the Lady Archer forward and Lady Booter defender.
Immersion into sports at a young age seems to be a common trend amongst successful athletes and Scott is no exception. As a teenager, she continued her up-and-coming career as a basketball player back when she was studying high school in Miriam College.
“I stopped playing basketball at around 14 years old, and then I tried football like around second year high school,” remarks Scott. “I was doing football and basketball at the same time during the summer before third year, but I decided to stick with just one sport at the end of the summer and I went with football.”
A few years later, Scott found herself engaged in both sports simultaneously, playing for both the DLSU Lady Archers and Lady Booters. With two more seasons of eligibility left in the UAAP, the basketball forward and the football defender has a lot more skills that she has yet to display. Niky Scott has already proven to be a force to reckon with on the field, especially in terms of defense, and she aims to foster further her individual basketball skills for the upcoming UAAP tourney.
As a dual-sport student athlete, Scott humbly admits that it is difficult to play both sports at the same time. “But then, I think with a lot of practice and just basically, managing my time, then I think I can handle it,” the Lady Archer and Booter adds.
Having much experience from playing both sports at the collegiate level, Scott acknowledges that basketball and football have both instilled in her the importance of being one with the team. “I think with football talaga, I’ve learned that it’s such a team sport, that you all really have to be on the same page. You can’t really win without the team. In basketball, it goes the same way,” she shares.
A perfect mix of talent, skill, and dedication: that is who Niky Scott is. Being a student and an athlete at the same time is already difficult, but to be both a well-performing student and a competent athlete playing two UAAP sports? Now that deserves a standing ovation.
