This student athlete has gone through so much in her life, and has triumphed over all of it!

Jadyn has dealt with a rare bone disease her whole life that causes her bones to continue to grow in uncommon ways. Her bones will get wider or will grow in places they are not supposed to. She has had many surgeries to get the bones back to size - leaving behind many scars. Just this past summer, she was in serious pain and vomiting blood. After multiple doctor appointments, she found out that her rib was growing inward, which ultimately punctured her lung - causing the pain and vomiting. She then had to have surgery to have a piece of her rib removed. We were unsure if she would even be able to play her senior season during her recovery. Fortunately, she recovered more quickly than expected and has been able to rejoin the team in a limited capacity. We are looking forward to when she can play again.

To add to her misfortune, she lost her mom a couple of years ago to cancer, which hit her family very hard, as their mother was the foundation of their family!

Through all of this, Jadyn is one of the nicest, hardworking people I have ever met in my life. She inspires me every day. At every turn where she could choose to give up and stop trying, she always comes back stronger and more prepared for the next step in her life. She participates in many clubs and other school extra curricular activities, and maintains above a 4.0 every year of high school while taking many AP classes.

I don't know how she does it, but I know she inspires everyone around her to do better, on and off the court.

I cannot think of a more deserving student-athlete to win the Jersey Mike's Naismith Courage Award than John (MinZheng) "MZ" Wahlers.

Throughout his entire life, MZ has been hounded by adversity. Born with a Cleft lip and palate in China, he was immediately abandoned at a police station, where doctor's conducted emergency surgery to close his upper palate. After the operation, he was without a home and was eventually fostered by a local family. Still, he struggled greatly, as it turns out that he was born unable to hear and speak because of his condition. He was again abandoned at a local orphanage at the age of 6 for children with learning disabilities.

At the orphanage, MZ was a step ahead of his peers intellectually. Due to his relative competence, MZ stepped into an informal caretaker role for his brothers.

The day came when MZ was finally adopted from the orphanage. He immigrated to the United States at 9 years old, into a loving family. Watching his brothers inspired him to pick up basketball.

His Freshman year was our first official High School Varsity season and he was one of three Freshman starters. We took our lumps and after that season several underclassmen transferred to bigger schools that would allow them to play in more competitive programs. But MZ was not going anywhere. He committed to the program and convinced others to stick around to help him build something special.

Due to a grueling knee injury in basketball, MZ missed the Spring track season, where he was likely to be a state-caliber sprinter. To add insult to injury, MZ also learned that he needed to have complete facial reconstruction surgery due to outgrowing his current facial configuration. Because of the urgency of the operation, MZ was faced with a choice: have the surgery now and miss his senior basketball season, or have the surgery after his senior basketball season and likely miss graduating with his peers. He chose to be able to play basketball his senior year.

MZ is now coming up on his fifth surgery in life. It’s highly possible that he won't be able to attend the end of his senior year of classes, and that he won't be able to walk at graduation.

It’s evident that MZ has faced whatever life has thrown his way with the courage that this award stands for. He’s done this all with a smile on his face and an infectious laugh. He has chosen to live courageously, fulfilling his motto from Joshua 1:9: “…be strong and courageous..” MZ is currently leading the state in three-pointers made (Class 2A) and is poised to lead us to a deep playoff run, but more importantly, he has been a shining example of what true courage and toughness looks like.

Learning English later in life has not stopped him from keeping up his grades despite our school’s rigorous curriculum. Having no one to deeply care for him as a young boy did not stop him from choosing to take care of others before himself. When times got tough in building a new program from scratch, he chose to stay and model true commitment rather than take the easy way out by transferring. He has chosen to play his senior year of basketball, even though he may not be able to graduate alongside his peers. If MZ is not worthy of this award, then I don't know who is. He has inspired me in every way possible, and I hope hearing his story has done the same for you.