"I Never Knew What My Life Was Going To Look Like Tomorrow..." Ta'Quan Zimmerman. How Faith, Family and Fortune Shaped The Destiny Of A Basketball Star.
When someone starts off in this world, they don’t know what their fate is going to be. Whether it’s growing up in a rich neighbourhood and getting anything you desired or living in poverty where you had to work hard consistently to put food on the table, no one ever knows what their path in life is going to be. Regardless of what path God puts you in, there will always be tests and different levels of adversity that you have to may face in the course of life. Facing adversity can either be a momentum boost to becoming a better person or a life sentence for a person to give up on everything that they do. Some people, unfortunately, pick the second option and end submitting to the adversity and believing that this is who they are destined to be. When it comes to a person like Ta’Quan Zimmerman of the Halifax Hurricanes, adversity hit him repeatedly in life. Even though he did have those bad days where he felt like everything was closing in on him so quickly, yet Zimmerman kept on pushing through and believed in himself, hence why he is where he is at today and more so regarded as one of the greatest players Canada has to offer. However, Zimmerman’s life as a young kid offered divergent paths.
Born in Waterbury Connecticut, on December 2, 1991, Zimmerman’s start to life was quite devastating in many ways. As a young kid growing up, he was raised in a single-family home in a drug-infested neighbourhood with five other siblings. Zimmerman grew up in the “hood” not knowing where he would sleep or where his next meal was coming from even as he would sometimes have to sleep on the kitchen floor next to a stove because that was the only source of heat in his home. His mother worked tirelessly and tried her best to provide for her family and be the best example she could be to her kids because she believed in all of them and also that one day they will all be successful. Life was tough for the Zimmermans as they frequently witnessed alarming and at times illegal things even though they wanted nothing to do with the shenanigans surrounding them. There would be times where temptations almost lead Zimmerman into a dark place, however, his firm faith in God and going to church multiple times a week saved him from dark and horrible deeds. Whether it was throwing rocks at cars or robbing a convenience store, a young Zimmerman always witnessed some form of havoc and crime, yet with a firm grounding in faith and family, he always avoided criminality, and instead focused on his goals and dreams. However, one day at the age of nine, Zimmerman’s life was transformed in front of his eyes as he faced the biggest test yet.
During his childhood, Zimmerman at one point had both of his parents to lean on. Early on in Zimmerman’s life, his family was very close to him and continued to remain close as they only had each other. For many growing up in the “hood”, following a path of violence and crime was a common outcome, yet Zimmerman and his family were the complete opposites of that commonly expected outcome and were in a better place due to the family’s strong grounding in faith and family. However, when Zimmerman was nine years old, he lost his dad which was the first of many tests he had to overcome in his life. His father’s death was something unexpected and left a painful scar on the family. Ta’Quan was very close to his dad but when he died so soon a spark lit up inside of him and he started to view life in a whole other way. He used his father’s death as fuel for motivation to not only honour him but also to help his family. The young Zimmerman would grieve for his father for many years to come and felt at times lost for words when he would think about his passing. His young face would fill with tears and his mind would reflect on something no one in his family fully overcame; the sudden death of his dad. Yet, Zimmerman was adamant about being an agent of change and pointed his life in a different direction. This time in his life was very tough and emotional for him and his family, and they realized that they needed to change their environment if they ever wanted to improve their situation. His mother worked 9-5 at a retail store while raising six kids on her own. The Zimmerman’s were never in a concrete situation and had to move countless times with the siblings transferring from school to school. Ta’Quan and his family never knew what tomorrow would look like as he would always come home to witness something new. This was a tough life to live and Zimmerman wanted to find a way to change his family’s situation while also honouring his father, and so he decided that he was going to pursue sports, something he has always passionate about.
Zimmerman knew that if he was to succeed in sports and avoid a life of crime, his father would be proud. Zimmerman didn’t want to be another soul that submitted to the demons of destruction but instead, he wanted to make a difference and inspire the next generation of disadvantaged youth. He sincerely felt that sports was an outlet that can be used to not only tell his story but also help him find personal success. But, Zimmerman would soon run into a new obstacle.
Throughout his life, one thing that Zimmerman was always passionate about was to one day make it to the professional level. As a young kid, he would always fantasize about being in the pros where his family would be watching every game he played. However, when he entered the sport, Zimmerman never felt that he can make it to the professional level due to being overweight. Growing up, Zimmerman would get picked on and was bullied due to his weight but he always found the way to deal with it given his pleasant personality. Yet, any teen no matter how resilient can take only so much, and the young Zimmerman would still sting by the taunts and mockery of his peers. Zimmerman was motivated to prove his tormentors wrong! He worked day and night to fulfill his dream of making it to the pros and so he focused on losing weight by working out at the local YMCA with the help of his mentor and trainer, Randy Brooks. People saw that heart and passion that fired up Zimmerman including his older brothers who always stood by his side. Whenever Zimmerman felt upset or uncertain about what tomorrow would look like, his brothers would always give him a sense of hope and helped him overcome his doubts and obstacles. He was very close to all of his brothers and looked up to them for inspiration even as they excelled in their chosen sport, football.
By the time Zimmerman transitioned from elementary school to Holy Cross high school in Connecticut, Zimmerman was slowly starting to convert his baby fat to grown-up muscle through a disciplined exercise regimen. In high school, Zimmerman played football and won the state championship while also playing in the band and being a two-sport athlete. Even though Zimmerman was incredible on the football field, basketball remained his true passion. The NBA would always be his goal! When I asked Zimmerman on the phone if he ever imagined himself being a professional basketball player, he stated,
“This was something I always dreamed of doing in my life. When I was in high school, no one ever saw me as a pro basketball player. No one would have ever expected this from me because I didn’t take the normal route that others took and that’s the beauty of it all.”
Throughout his challenges, Zimmerman never gave up on his goal and refused to allow any form of doubt to derail his dreams. No doubt, it is his hard work and perseverance that has brought him to where he is today given the many obstacles that he had to face in his winding road to success. Whether it was painfully overcoming the tragic death of his father or getting picked on in school for how he looked and dressed, or how his family had to move consistently in order to survive, Zimmerman could have ended up in a much darker place if it wasn’t for his faith and his determined personality. His basketball career wouldn’t be so successful if he didn’t develop the mindset that he had towards life. Whenever faced with any form of adversity, Zimmerman kept his head high even when it was the toughest thing to do. He pushed through all the emotional pain he went through in order to fulfill his goal of being someone special in this world. And he is quick to give this credit to the Almighty.
“I give all my credit to God. I know that God was by my side throughout the ups and downs and that’s why I give God the upmost praise and worship. I probably pray more than the average person because I know where my strength came from and I wouldn’t be able to do it without God.”
The life story of Ta’Quan Zimmerman is one that touched me immensely. Words cannot begin to describe my emotional reactions as I followed the narration of a life that experienced unimaginable adversity and still managed to overcome them to witness success. When everyone doubted him, Ta’Quan Zimmerman immediately shut down all the doubters by showing them the definition of hard work and dedication. Zimmerman didn’t have it easy and had to work extremely hard to get to where he is at now. From his deep and abiding faith in God to losing a father at a tender age, to following his mother’s strong work ethic, Zimmerman’s story made me realize how precious and possible life truly is. He could have easily succumbed to the pitfalls of his existence but Ta’Quan Zimmerman saw the bigger picture and found ways to help himself and his family get out of their desperate circumstances and live a better life. Zimmerman further accomplished his goal of being an inspiration and a symbol of hope to others by creating camps and foundations to address bullying and to inspire the next generation of athletes.
Professional Career
Once his time at Holy Cross High School came to a close, he went to Putnam Science Academy where, he was regarded as one of the best athletes, if not the best athlete, to ever come out of that school. He was so good that his school inducted him into their Hall of Fame as he held the record for the greatest scoring average of 27 points. Zimmerman put his school on the map with his excellent production on the court. Putnam Science Academy went from a school that was barely recognized for its sports program to one of the best prep-schools in the country with a recognized academic and athletics program!
When Zimmerman graduated from Putnam Science, many schools were interested in him. Zimmerman wanted to play for the best Division 1 school the country had to offer. He aspired to take his basketball career to the next level. He had a program tuned for success. He first lost weight in elementary school, then focused on improving his game in high school. This background would prime him to seek out the best Division 1 schools to play for. Zimmerman needed a scholarship to further his goals and he was able to score one when he signed up with Long Island University. Sadly, Zimmerman suffered a torn meniscus when doing a routine jab-step and didn’t really know how to feel or react. This was a shock for him as this was the last thing he expected.
“Mentally, I was very close to feeling defeated but faith saved me. By growing up in a church, I was always encouraged to find the positives out of any situation so faith helped me push through it. God knew why I got injured, it was for a reason so it kept me at peace. At the same time, I didn’t know what to do or what was next for me.”
This was a shock for Zimmerman and his family and even though he wanted to stay with Long Island, he realized that the best thing for him to do was to transfer schools.
“I didn’t expect to transfer schools but looking at my situation, it was the best option for me. I never would have thought I would get injured especially the way it did. I was doing my routine jab-step and my knee felt a little weird and next thing I knew, I tore my meniscus all the way to the edge of my knee where it was centimetres away from my ACL.”
Despite the devastating and unexpected injury, Zimmerman was determined not to be deterred from attaining his goals. He signed up with a junior college where he would play his first-ever college basketball game. However, an incident occurred with his teammates where they did something they wish never occurred. During Christmas time, everyone was expected to go home and spend time with their families for the holidays. Zimmerman went home and spent time with his family while some of his teammates decided to break into their school store and steal some gear. Zimmerman was the only one that refused to join their teammates. His teammates all got caught on camera doing the dastardly deed.
This foolish act by his teammates resulted in extreme consequences for them. They saw their scholarships revoked and their season suspended. This incident also impacted Zimmerman, who although innocent wasn’t able to play basketball. This devastated him.
That season was a very important season for him as many basketball scouts were looking to recruit him. But after the incident with his teammates, all of the scouts disappeared. Zimmerman was getting offers from schools that were trying to recruit him but when this incident occurred, his season was over and his offers started to disappear. This was due to the NCAA rules which state that a student-athlete must attain a certain amount of credits to attend a Division 1 school. Therefore, as a consequence of the foolish act of his sophomoric teammates, Zimmerman had to do one more year of Junior College. Zimmerman would play his second year where he would be named as an all-region player while finishing 5th in the national standings. Zimmerman hoped to attend a Division 1 school in New York City until the NCAA hit him with a violation for not having enough credits and revoked his scholarship. The reason why Zimmerman didn’t have enough credits was due to the prior season where he missed an extended amount of time off the court due to the suspended season resulting from his teammates behaviour. However, in his second year of college, his counsellors and coaching staff tried to help him and told him that he needed to graduate if he wanted to play Division 1 basketball. Zimmerman would write an appeal to the NCAA in hopes of attaining his scholarship but his request was declined. Ta’Quan had to wait for months to hear an answer from the NCAA and he optimistically assumed that his appeal would be accepted. But, two weeks before the semester started he received the decision which declined his appeal. This put him in a frenzy. Consequently, Zimmerman transferred schools and now attended a school in Kamloops, British Columbia, for a season.
During his time in Kamloops, many scouts were very impressed with Zimmerman’s game. However, some scouts felt that the level of play in Canada was different and some of his agents even advised him to play overseas. Yet, Zimmerman believed in himself and put his name in the NBA draft. Soon enough, his school would be getting phone calls that they never previously received for any player! Zimmerman was now getting attention from the NBA and was recieving interest from the San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic, worked out privately for the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons while still playing in Canada!
Unfortunately, Zimmerman wasn’t drafted and instead he went on to the G-League where he ended up signing up with the Utah Jazz. Zimmerman would play for two years with the Utah Jazz and the G-League. Even though Zimmerman wanted to stay in the G-League, he decided to take his talents back to Canada where he would play for the Halifax Hurricanes and was ultimately drafted 10th overall in the NBLC (National Basketball League of Canada) draft. Zimmerman now found himself a new home and he is the all-time leader for three-point percentage and three-point shots made as well as second all-time in assists while also winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award in the NBLC. Zimmerman was also second-team all NBLC according to US basket and all of this was accomplished in just three years! Zimmerman is also the second player in NBLC history to come off the bench while draining 100 three-pointers, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists.
The life and career of Ta’Quan Zimmerman is an inspiring and incredible story. In this life well lived, we are offered a lot of inspiring lessons. A deep faith in God, a deep resiliency, tenacity, the support of family, and an implacable belief in a better life possible. These are the solid lessons to be learned from the life story of Ta’Quan Zimmerman. Adversity would hit him time and time again yet he never let it define him. Instead of giving up he worked hard and fought back with conviction and courage. His story inspired me and continues to inspire many others who know of him. The message and lesson that can be learned from his incredible story is that if you are brought up in a situation that you can’t control, your situation doesn’t define you. It is your actions and mindset that does. Ta’Quan Zimmerman could have given up at any point in his life, yet he kept on fighting and pushing through to achieve what he knew he deserved.
