Players have to be something special to get an opportunity to play both sports at the collegiate level; usually one decides to head in one direction. But for Keeshawn Silver from Rocky Mount high school, the opportunity has arrived to play basketball and football at North Carolina.
Silver is highly-regarded around the country as one of the top talents on the football field. The Rocky Mount prospect racked up 47 tackles and 7.0 sacks last year on the field but also was nearing a double-double on the basketball court, averaging 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
In a recent interview with Silver, he expressed that basketball was his first love and now, he has the opportunity to live out that dream wearing the North Carolina uniform for football and basketball.
“I mean, it is amazing,” Silver told Phenom Hoops. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and a chance to do this is great.”
Silver has had a few conversations with Coach Williams, mostly speaking about life and stuff, just developing to relationship between the two.
So, what does Silver bring to the table on the court some may ask'
“I mean, I’m a Dennis Rodman type of player,” he said. “Glass cleaning, lockdown defender, low post rebounding.” Silver has nights in which he can showcase and produce on the offensive end but he enjoys getting after it on the defensive end and on the boards.
Football seems to help him stay aggressive and do the dirty work on the court.
“Taking contact every day in practice, getting triple-teamed and getting dirty, just doing the unordinary that turns you into a dog, especially when you are going after a free ball on the ground… I’m diving for it. Football just makes you so aggressive.”
North Carolina has had other dual-sport athletes play both sports, so Silver will be joining other names such as Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers, among others that have played both.