The route Fred Sturdivant took to Texas Southern University wasn't an easy one. It wasn't his preferred method, either.
Yet he's accomplished what he always set out to do.
Sturdivant committed to the Southwestern Athletic Conference school in February, and within the next few weeks he will be realizing his dream of wanting to play for an NCAA Division I university.
The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder, who earned Class AA all-state honors while leading Brainerd to the state final four in 2009, spent a year at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn. Last summer he went to his hometown of San Francisco to visit family and ran across City College of San Francisco coach Justin Labagh, who invited Sturdivant to an open gym.
The CCSF coaching staff was so impressed by his play at the open gym that he was immediately offered a scholarship.
"I pretty much had to make the decision right there to either go back to Walters State or stay in Cali," Sturdivant said.
He chose the latter and went on to earn all-conference honors as the Rams won the California Community College Athletic Association championship -- the second in the school's history.
Sturdivant knew he wanted to play at the Division I level. He noted that a lot of Pac-10 and Big 12 schools showed interest and were at games, but Texas Southern started recruiting him early in the process and never wavered.
"When I first met them, they started talking grades and what it was going to take for me to get there," he said. "It drew my attention that they shot me straight and were going to help me get my academics straight."
Sturdivant, who has been in Chattanooga working out with Brainerd assistant coach Tre High, will play primarily on the perimeter for the first time in his career, after playing power forward and some small forward at CCSF.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I've been working hard on my game, and it's developed to where I can play the 2 some."
He said that for all players with the talent to play Division I, having to go to a junior college is no reason to give up on their dreams.
"If you have to go a different route, you have to keep pushing," he said. "I always wanted to play Division I basketball, but I had to get my academics in order first.
"Dreams have no restrictions; you just have to keep working to realize them."