“Be Known for Something”
EAST PEORIA — There is a good chance that if you ask a basketball fan in Indiana who AJ Guyton is, they would know him. You see, Guyton was recently inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame as a result of his accomplishments, both on and off the court, during his four years at IU.
Guyton had a recognized basketball career even before this. He was titled an All-American in 2000, a year when he also led the Big Ten colleges in scoring, with 19.7 points per game. He was also the second player in IU’s history to receive Most Valuable Player in all four years that he attended.
Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft, he went on to play for the Golden State Warriors followed by a number of seasons overseas. He returned to Peoria, though, to give back and “try to instill some of the values that I learned growing up… into our youth.”
“You aren’t truly blessed until you give back,” Guyton said.
Get GPA’s Up
Guyton is currently a Retention Coordinator here at ICC, where he helps to ensure the success rate of students. Guyton said his job is to “target certain students that are borderline [or] failing, and I try to provide them wrap-around services for them to help them get GPA’s up and steer their education back on the the right path.”
He notes the importance of having students “identify their passion first then decide how they are going to succeed.” Guyton believes students “have to care, have to have passion.” This applies to everyday life and not just to school and student athletes.
To Guyton, it is important for both students and athletes alike to develop a strong support system to push them forward, even while young.
“My support system has been huge, starting with my parents,” Guyton said. “I give my coaches a lot of credit, but without my parents I wouldn’t have made it to my coaches… My whole goal is to encourage [young] people to have support systems and understand what they mean to them.”
Along with a strong support system, Guyton also encourages individuals to not only focus on winning, but be sure to focus on doing things the right way. Doing so will help them to win most of the time, which can be a huge reflection on the individual and those around them.
“If you are a student at a school, you represent that school and you represent your parents,” Guyton said. “If you understand that, you’ll make better decisions.”
Although Guyton played professional basketball at many levels and in many countries, he will never regret his decision to stay at Indiana and graduate. He will tell you that that decision was “the driving force behind becoming a legend in Indiana, a place I can always call home.”
Guyton believes it is important to “be known for something,” and while he is known at ICC for helping students, he will now be known as a Hall of Fame Hoosier, as well.