ANTELOPE VALLEY CHRISTIAN: A.V. CHRISTIAN'S ON-COURT AMBASSADOR KOREA-BORN CHO HELPS TEAMMATES TO THIRD STRAIGHT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer LANCASTER - To hear John Cho tell it, before he began high school, he was a lost youth. ``I was a bad kid,'' said Cho, who used to smoke, drink and get into fights when he was a child in his native South Korea. But a three-week visit to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in the summer of 1997 changed Cho's life. The trip was led by a Korean youth group, which was hosted by members of the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Christian High community. On the trip, Cho noticed how much fun the kids at the school were having playing basketball. He knew he needed a change and he decided he'd have a better life going to school in the U.S. So within weeks of his visit, he transferred to A.V. Christian as a freshman. He overcame his limited English to succeed in school. And he's also turned out to be a standout basketball player. Cho, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, has played varsity since his sophomore year and has helped lead the Eagles to three consecutive Agape agape In the New Testament, the fatherly love of God for humans and their reciprocal love for God. The term extends to the love of one's fellow humans. The Church Fathers used the Greek term to designate both a rite using bread and wine and a meal of fellowship that included League titles and a 36-game league winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" . Cho was averaging 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds entering Wednesday night's Southern Section Division V-A V-A abbr. ventriculoatrial playoff game Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship against Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational, Protestant fellowship of churches which began in 1965 in Southern California. The term "fellowship of churches" is used in contrast to a denomination. of Redlands. A.V. Christian is ranked second in its division. Its most recent league title did not come easy. The Eagles outlasted Hesperia Christian 74-71 in overtime on Friday. Cho scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds in that game. A.V. Christian coach David Nurse said what has impressed him most about Cho has been his ability to pick up the game while learning a different language. When Cho first joined the team, said Nurse, he was repeatedly getting called for three-second violations because he didn't know basketball rules. But Cho has not only adapted to his new culture, he has, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Nurse, served as an ambassador to the other Korean players on the varsity and junior varsity teams. Teammate Jamal Flanagan, whose 25.1 points per game lead the Eagles, said he recalls when Cho first joined the team, he'd call fouls by saying, ``Pow, like in Batman.'' But Cho has since gained Flanagan's respect. ``At first, it was very difficult, but he's become a great leader,'' Flanagan said. ``He's a good person, so he's easy to work with.'' Cho wants to go to college in the U.S. and hopes to continue playing basketball. He credits his host family, with whom he lived for his first three years, and the A.V. Christian community, with giving him a chance to change. Cho idolizes Dodgers pitcher and countryman Chan Ho Park and has developed a fondness for many aspects of American culture. He is becoming more and more like a typical American teen-ager. ``I'm not trying to be,'' he said. ``I'm still Korean, but I'm trying to do some American stuff.'' |
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