Former Marquette Basketball Player: Rough Road, Good End

From The Winona Daily News, an inspiring account of how Marquette player Jarrod Lovette has finally emerged from a very rocky stretch of his life. Speaking at a church in Atlanta:

He told his audience about the mistakes he had made during his time at Marquette, and the years after he graduated. The way he had dabbled in drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. For the first time, he shared that he had attempted suicide in December 1998, leading to his departure from Marquette. He returned for one game in January 1999, but a panic attack during a game against DePaul ended his college career. He graduated in 1999, but since then he had drifted from job to job — substitute teacher, bartender, disc jockey, counselor for troubled juveniles.

And what is his situation today?

Most of all, Lovette will share his belief that he wouldn’t be where his today without his faith. How his relationship with God has blessed him with many riches. A beautiful wife. A home in Winona Lake, Ind., home of Grace College, and a job as the men’s basketball team’s strength and conditioning coach. An opportunity to attend the school’s seminary and pursue his dream of being a missionary.

It doesn’t matter if Lovette is speaking to people he knows, as he was that December day when he preached to members of the Grace men’s and women’s basketball teams in Atlanta, or complete strangers. He believes in what he says.

Read the whole article. And consider how he can be an inspiration for other troubled young men.