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York College basketball star recognized
for his stellar work on and off the court
Akil Vaughn Photos courtesy of York College
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 7-FEB. 13, 2020 41
SPORTS
BY BENJAMIN MANDILE
Akil Vaughn, who was
recently named CUNYAC/
Hospital for Special Surgery
Scholar-Athlete of the Month
for December, currently
finds himself in the midst
of his second year of playing
college basketball. But being
a student-athlete isn’t new to
the 6’5”, 200-pound forward
from Georgetown, Guyana.
Vaughn, a junior at York
College in Jamaica, Queens
also plays volleyball for the
college in addition to doublemajoring
in accounting and
aviation.
“His motives and demeanor
toward the game is
unbelievable,” said Devine
Chisholm, a team captain of
the York College men’s basketball
team.
Chilsholm said that
through his time getting to
know Vaughn over the past
year he has seen why his
teammate puts so much on
his plate to work toward. Chisholm
believes it comes from
the opportunity Vaughn was
given by being able to come
to New York and him wanting
to “make something” out
of coming here, stating that
there wasn’t a lot of opportunity
in Guyana.
While volleyball, a sport
he played in high school and
has continued for the thrill
of the game, is Vaughn’s
“bread and butter,” he joined
the basketball team after his
teammates saw him playing
basketball in the recreation
center and saw potential in
his game.
“He’s a force to have on the
court,” Chisholm said, who
added that he’d rather have
Vaughn on his team than
have to play against him.
In addition to playing
two seasons of sports for his
school, Vaughn also excels
at his academics and holds a
3.7 grade point average while
tutoring other players on his
team, said Harris Rappel, the
assistant athletic director for
external relations and sports
information at York.
Vaughn hopes to return
home to help run the family
accounting business, he said,
as he has always had a passion
for airplanes and wanted
to learn how they work,
along with how to fly them.
Vaughn attributes his
work ethic to lessons his
father taught him growing
up. His father, an accountant
back in Guyana, used to
wake Vaughn up at 5 a.m. to
start chores before he could
play games. His work ethic
seeps over into others too,
as he is an inspiration to his
team according to his teammates
and his coach.
Vaughn’s father was not
the only one who taught
him life lessons; he said his
coaches help create an atmosphere
for the team in which
the players are also able to
take care of their school and
home life.
Vaughn is the second athlete
from York College to be
named scholar-athlete of the
month and first since 2013,
when Sandra Samberger, a
swimmer for York College
earned the accolade in January
2013.
As of Feb. 3, Vaughn and
his team have played to a
record of 7-13 (3-7 CUNYAC)
this season.
In six December games,
Vaughn averaged a doubledouble,
scoring 10.3 points
and recorded 10.5 rebounds
per game. He also averaged
one block per contest and
shot 43 percent from the field
and 75 percent from the freethrow
line.
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