TFC Athlete Spotlight: CJ Mitchell
“I don’t really know what got me into it… I just picked up a basketball and never looked back.” Cedric “CJ” Mitchell found a love for the game of basketball almost 15 years ago. At 20 years old, he is now a starting guard for Toccoa Falls College's Screaming Eagles Varsity Men’s Basketball program. Originally from Chidester, Arkansas, Mitchell transferred to TFC in the fall of 2019 with TFC’s new Head Basketball Coach, Leonard Epps. He played one year under Epps at Millikin University (Illinois). Mitchell found that it is “easier to know people here,” so he brought with him an attitude of community and a passion for the game he’s been playing for most of his life.
Mitchell is currently a junior Sports Management major. After college, he hopes to play in a professional basketball league overseas. He recognizes that this dream is far from home and could get boring, but he is excited to continue playing the game he loves in a new environment. Mitchell also hopes to start a nonprofit in the United States one day. Specifically, he wants to build “a training academy to help people who maybe don’t have the resources, or do. I just want to help people.”
Today, he is simply trying to succeed as a student-athlete. Mitchell said that his greatest challenges with the sport lie in “losing the championship and trying to stay on top of everything – being a good student and player.” He refers to the Regional Championships that TFC hosted and competed in on February 27, 2021. The team lost to Southeastern Baptist College (Mississippi) by one point in a buzzer-beater during the final play of the game. Although Mitchell and his team have felt the burden of this loss, he credits the final game as one of his favorite moments during this season, because of the fans. He said that the fans, including TFC students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family members, have a huge impact on the game. “They gave me extra powers,” Mitchell said. “We love the fans. Seeing them every game excites and helps us a lot.”
The game’s environment that day helped Mitchell more than the average fan might realize. Earlier in the season, while the Screaming Eagles defeated Pensacola Christian College to secure the No. 2 seed and advance to the Regional Championships, Mitchell was laying to rest his father who had unexpectedly passed away. He said that his father is still his greatest motivator, along with his teammates who constantly support him and have helped him during his grieving process.
Being with his teammates is one of Mitchell’s favorite aspects of the game, as well as just having fun. Basketball also helps him mentally and is a positive way to release stress. “It helps to take my mind off of things. It’s good sometimes to get away and do something. I can come workout, and it’s like therapy,” he said.
Coach Epps is also one of Mitchell’s motivators in how he encourages him to be a better person all around. “[He] told me to enjoy TFC, because this is my first Christian school, and it was pretty different. When I started being open and going to different places, it was fun.”
Playing basketball for so many years has taught him a lot, but Mitchell specifically pointed to adversity as an area of major personal growth. “You could be losing a majority of the game and still come back and win. It’s the same thing in life. If something happens, it’s not the end of the world,” he quoted Epps.
Although the 2019-2020 season has ended, basketball is still an everyday activity for Mitchell and his teammates. They will soon be starting workouts and training to come back even stronger next season.