Patch MVP Winter Week 2: John Burroughs Two-Sport Star, Foye Oluokun

Until the final day of voting last Thursday, all five Patch MVP candidates were still in the running for our weekly top athlete award.

But on that final day, the folks from John Burroughs just took over the ballot and made sure their candidate, football and basketball star Foye Oluokun, walked away with the award.

Foye wound up getting 64 percent of the total votes cast, and became one of our biggest landslide Patch MVP winners ever.

This week, we were able to catch up with Foye, and learned a whole lot of awesome things about one of Burroughs' top student-athletes.

Here's just some of what we found out about Foye Oluokun, our Winter Week 2 Patch MVP Athlete of the Week:

Patch: Even though you have been a standout player on both JBS' football and basketball teams, most people don't know your full name. Would you mind sharing what that is?

FO: Foyesade Iyewumi Oluokun

Patch: Does your name have any special meaning? What is it?

FO: It means search for wisdom and cherish wisdom. My last name means God of the sea.

Patch: How do you deal with people that can't say your name properly? Has it ever bothered you? How do you deal with it now?

FO: Sometimes I correct people and sometimes I just let people feel good about themselves and believe they said it correctly. But there are times people butcher it so badly, I can't do anything but laugh.

When I was little I used to get annoyed when people said my name wrong, especially after I had already pronounced it for them once before. Now, I am more patient with people and if I know they're going to pronounce it more than once, I will help them learn the correct pronunciation.

Patch: You're just about halfway through your senior year, have you decided yet what college you want to attend next year?

I hope to attend Yale University.

Patch: Will you play sports there, or is it time for Foye to just be a normal student?

FO: Yes, I'm going to play football there.

Patch: As a member of the JBS football team, you and your teammates made three straight trips to the Show-Me Bowl state championship game, please tell us about that experience.

FO: My John Burroughs football career has been very special. Making it to the state finals three straight times was no easy task. It took a lot of hard work and determination.

Unfortunately, we lost each time, and that is very disappointing. But in three years, Burroughs has lost four football games. We have played the maximum amount of football possible with each other. In that time, we grew close to one another and we're all great friends.

Patch: Now it's basketball season, and you've gotten off to another fantastic start. Tell us about that.

FO: Basketball is going pretty well. This year, we're a very athletic team and we have a lot of pride in our defensive ability. We're 3-0 right now, but we're still trying to put things together after starting with such little preparation.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The Bombers had almost no practice time before the start of the basketball season, because many of the players were still playing football. In fact, JBS' first boys basketball game was only four days after the Show-Me Bowl state championship football game on November 23.)

I am looking forward to this season with the new league and everything. We play new teams this year, and it should be exciting.

Patch: Tell us about your biggest fan. Who out there roots for you the hardest? And how does that make you feel?

FO: My dad is my biggest fan. He's not at every game because he works out of town. But when he is there, he makes his presence known. I can always hear him or see him cheering the team on in the stands.

Patch: What celebrity are you a big fan of? Could be sports, movies, music, anything. Tell us about your most favorite famous person.

FO: Rajon Rondo, the point guard for the Boston Celtics, has to be my favorite celebrity.

Patch: Now tell us why you are you're such a fan of this person.

FO: I am a huge Kentucky fan and Rondo went to Kentucky. I remember watching him a lot when he was in college, and he was really good. He was crafty and really had a good feel for the game, so I always went around saying I was going to be like him.

Then when he went pro and no one knew of him, I still said he was the best player in the league. I would even play with him in video games; he would shoot all of the shots... I didn't win too much, but I enjoyed it.

Then three or four years later, he is actually a star and I argue with all my friends that he is the best basketball player in the game today just for fun, and I have fun pretending I'm him in practice just enjoying myself.

He also looks like a child, which is funny to me because he is playing against grown men, and everything he does is nonchalant and he makes it look easy.

Patch: Last question, if you could have dinner with any three people ever, could be a real person or a fictional character, who would they be and why?

FO: I would love to sit down at a dinner with Herbert Hainer, the CEO of Adidas; Mark Parker, the CEO of Nike; and Kevin Plank, the CEO of UnderArmour. These three people are in charge of arguably the three biggest sports brands in America, and are always in competition to come out with the next big thing.

They have to continuously improve their "already perfect" products and also make it appealing to consumers, so the products are bought year after year.

I would love to ask them questions about each of their businesses and learn from them about all that it takes to run a major corporation.