Growing up in the Dallas suburb of Garland, Toddrick Gotcher knew his jumper and sweet handle could get him far on the basketball court – but he wasn't expecting the skills to take him to other countries.
"No, I never thought I'd be playing basketball internationally," said the Texas Tech senior. "It's exciting. We played a tournament in the Philippines two years ago, and we are going to play in Puerto Rico and Montreal this year. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Usually people don't get to go to places like that. Athletics really paved the way for things like that to happen. International trips to learn new cultures and languages – it's pretty great."
Gotcher, a three-time Academic All Big 12 selection, was recently named one of five national recipients of the prestigious 16th annual John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship.
The 6-4 shooting guard always knew that his athletic abilities could be a springboard to off the court success. His father, Troy, parlayed a football scholarship at Baylor into a degree in kinesiology and a successful career as a middle school football and basketball coach. Both of Gotcher's parents (his mom, Rachel, works for Child Protective Services) knew that if Toddrick pushed himself as hard in the classroom as he did in the gym, it could open a world of opportunities.
"They stressed college and they wanted me to get an education," said Gotcher. "They really stressed academics. That gave me a pathway to college sports. I can still remember when it was progress report time – they knew. They always knew. If I made a bad grade, the lectures would be like, 'Come on, you know you have to go to college.' It was a big thing. Going to college is now a tradition in my family. I knew I had to strive to get there."
"I believe I was a good student, but they pushed me. They pushed me hard to focus. There were times when I just wanted to play sports. But they knew, to be a student-athlete, I had to put 'student' first."
Gotcher took his parents advice like it was a perfectly thrown alley-oop pass. He hit the ground running in Lubbock, pushing himself to excel in his studies and on the practice floor. "The most important part of being a student-athlete is time management," he said. "I learned to manage my time – with school and basketball. It really benefited me – and others, too, because I became a better leader. A more vocal leader."
An injury as a freshman forced Gotcher to redshirt. Sidelined on the court, he poured his energy into his books with the goal of graduating early. He also turned to a teammate for advice on how to cope with his adversity and become a better a student.
"My freshman year, I did go under the wing of a junior player at that time, (former Red Raider hoopster) Jaye Crockett. He was a phenomenal player and student during his time in Lubbock. I looked at him as a mentor, and he really showed me knowledge and how to be a leader and what to expect at Texas Tech. He helped me get through that first year."
What seemed at first to be a setback – the injury and redshirting – turned into a blessing. With the extra time to manage his course load, Gotcher graduated in three years with a Bachelor's Degree in exercise and sports science. He is now pursuing two Master's Degrees, sports management and business administration. "My parents," he said, "were like 'Wow – you want to get two graduate degrees? Let's do it!'"
He is scheduled to graduate with both Master's Degrees in May 2016.
"I would really like to work in the athletic department at a university," he said. "Maybe one day be an athletic director. There are so many hardworking athletes at a university. Everyone looks at the revenue sports and enjoys watching the finished products. But when you look at the sports that don't get as much publicity – such as golf or volleyball – you really see how hard those athletes work too. I appreciate that. The players. The coaches. The staff. We have 17 sports at Tech and I see each one of them for what they contribute to the university. That's why I want to work in an athletic department. I want to be able to support all athletes achieve their dreams."
On the court, Gotcher plans on having a big senior season – improving on his 7.3 points per game scoring average from last season. At Tech, under the leadership of Head Coach Tubby Smith, he looks to make his mark in Big 12 play.
In the meantime, Gotcher will try to finish off his two post-graduate degrees. Oh, yeah – and mastering that one other thing that still has him. "Speaking French when I go to Montreal," he said with a laugh. "I'm not sure how that's going to go."