NEW YORK--St. Maarten baseball player Villeneuve “Junior” King is one of more than 130 international students currently studying Genesee Community College in New York. King is the first to attend the school from the Friendly Island.
King came to GCC in the spring of 2018 with the goal of studying sports management and playing baseball. The outfielder/slugger dreams of playing professional baseball for several years and then to move over to coaching.
He attended a college try-out, was scouted and ended up at the Community College. In June he has been invited back to another try-out before college and pro scouts.
“I am majoring is Sport Management,” said King. “I am 30 credits away from graduating with an associate degree.”
GCC is part of the State University of New York, and is located in Batavia, a small city between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, and about a two-hour drive from Toronto, Canada. With approximately 5,500 students, it is the perfect size. There are more than 65 degrees and certificates, a robust offering of athletic programs and student clubs, as well as College Village, a residence community adjacent to campus for full-time students. Class sizes are generally about 17 students, providing plenty of one-on-one interaction with instructors.
While snow and ice presented the Caribbean athlete many changes including trying to learn to ice skate, but mostly falling down, math presented the biggest obstacle.
“At first I was struggle with Math. It was the thing I least liked at College,” admitted King. The school is small and personal. King received help in the form of a tutor. “But with everyone’s help I am passing Math.”
King went on to say, “My favourite subject is Principle in Coaching. I learn the different coaching skills in different sports.
“ I would like pursue my degree and hopefully become a head coach or a trainer at college or at the high school level,” said King. I would like to return to my country to give back to the kids in the community and become a coach at one of the local schools.”
On the field, King played in 26 games. He averaged .368. He connected for one home run, had 15 runs batted in, scored eight times and stole four bases.
Many GCC students transfer their college credits and associate degrees to four-year colleges within SUNY or other universities to earn their bachelor’s degree.
For a virtual, online tour of the GCC campus, go to: www.genesee.edu/VT. For further information, go to www.genesee.edu or call 585-343-0055 extension 6269.
