Deadrick Forrest has always worked hard to make things better for those around him.

On the basketball court, the Warrenton senior has been very unselfish, always putting the team first.

Now, upon his graduation, the next steps of Forrest’s life will continue putting both a team and, ultimately, the well-being of athletes, in general, first.

Forrest, who recently signed with William Woods University, wants to create an avenue to health for athletes that was made possible for him. His mother, Holly, works with a company called Ultra Wellness Medical, which has helped him recover from the bumps and bruises of athletic competition. 

“I really want to major in Business and minor in Health with a specific goal in mind,” Forrest said. “I want to work with new technology (aiding) the recovery process of athletes with the (the uses of a) hyperbaric chamber and everything (related). I want to get into that type of business to help high school (athletes), just like I was helped.”

While Forrest had help in his recovery to play basketball and the other sports he’s played at Warrenton, he’s helped others aplenty in his time on the basketball court.

This last season, the 5-foot-11, 155-pound Forrest averaged 13.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Forrest’s coach during his time at Warrenton, Mark Thomas, said that seeing the senior's desire to help others isn’t surprising. To get the chance to play basketball while he pursues his dream is also something Forrest has earned.

“He deserves it. He's worked for it, and I’m super-proud of him,” Thomas said. “He's always been just an all-around great kid. He has always been a hard worker. It's hard to keep him out of the gym and find him sneaking up here on the weekends, even when we weren’t around. He's just been driven and extremely coachable, which is what I appreciate most. He was always a team player.”

The coach added that Forrest had that team mentality ingrained in who he was; it sometimes came at the expense of his personal statistics.

Any college program would be lucky to have Forrest, Thomas said.

He’s that team-first guy, even when we asked him not to be,” Thomas said. “So, he needed him to be a little more selfish at times, and it was just not really in his nature. He's a team guy, and so I think that's what's going to really help him with the next level.”

Forrest said that several factors drew him to William Woods.

“They have an open (style) campus, and it’s really outdoorsy,” Forrest said. “I love to fish and I can even do that there. On the court, I think just having the chance to facilitate for the team, play for a great coach, and learn and grow is really important to me. I found all that there.”

Forrest said that, just as he hopes to leave his mark on the college basketball and, ultimately, the business world, the community where he grew up has left its mark on him.  

“This school and this community have meant everything to me,” Forrest said. “I’ve really grown up here. The community has done nothing but show me love and show the teams love, even when we were down. I’m going to miss it here a lot.”