Photo credit: UT Arlington Athletics
When high school student-athletes graduate, many are forced to hang up old uniforms and put away equipment for a sport they dedicated four years of their lives to.
The UT Arlington women's basketball team offers a unique experience for some former high schoolers to lace up the basketball shoes once more and compete as if they are a Division I athlete. UTA's Blue Bloods, the male practice squad for the Lady Mavericks, have been part of the resurgence of the program and continue to challenge the roster on a daily basis.
Senior Trey Brackens graduated from high school in 2008 and followed in his father's footsteps by enlisting into the Army for four years. He always had a love for basketball and watched as many UTA games as he could when he returned to school.
So when Talby Justus, assistant coach and Blue Blood coordinator, saw Brackens playing at the MAC and approached him, Brackens jumped at the chance to get back in the game.
"When I was in the military, I felt like I was missing out on the college experience," Brackens said. "Now I feel like an actual DI student-athlete. The girls make us feel like part of the team. I feel like when they win, we win and when they lose, we lose."
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