Standout Oakland student-athlete, with 4.3 GPA, has eyes set on becoming a surgeon

OAKLAND, Calif. - A standout Oakland high school student-athlete is being celebrated for not only his academic achievements, but his leadership by example and his contributions on and off the basketball court. 

Dominic Antoine Jr., known to many as Pooda, is a 17-year-old senior at Fremont High in East Oakland, where he has a 4.3 grade point average. 

He’s also a point guard and plays a key role on the school’s varsity basketball team, which just completed its best season in 10 years.

And on Tuesday, the basketball player’s skills and performance were recognized, as he was voted first team all-league, Fremont High Varsity basketball coach Scot Alexander told KTVU.

"As an athlete he’s one of the top defensive players in the league," the coach shared, noting last year, as a junior, the teen received an honorable mention as all-leaguer.

Standout student

Despite the time and energy needed to put toward basketball, the teen has managed to excel just as much, if not more, in the classroom.

"Dominic is different,’ Alexander noted. "In a world where a lot of students take academics for granted I watch him put in overtime on his studies." 

Those studies involve a rigorous course load. 

His school schedule this year has been loaded up with Advanced Placement courses including in biology, English literature, and U.S. History. In previous years, in addition to AP classes, Antoine also dually enrolled in college-level courses. 

"I know my priorities and I know that I know where I wanna be," the teen shared with us in an interview this week. 

His approach to success is to remain disciplined, prioritize what’s important by being prepared, time management and staying focus on what needs to get done. 

"I pushed myself to be better and stay on top of my work and try not to procrastinate," Antoine shared, adding, "Because most of these grades are from literally just doing the work. You got to just do the work and apply yourself."

He said it starts with staying committed to the little things. 

"Like getting to class on time. Now you're there, and now you're ready, you're in mode. Rather than being there late, now, you are behind," the teen explained. "Going to class instead of wanting to chill in the courtyard for longer. It's just little simple things like that. And that's just how you build trust with your teachers. And then you naturally inherit the skills, the mental to just, be on top of your stuff."

He also acknowledged his success involved long, tiring nights, after coming home late from practice, and then hitting the books to make sure the work was done. 

The college acceptance wait 

The teen is currently in that anticipation stage so many of his other college-bound peers are in, awaiting word on college acceptance decisions. 

Antoine applied to seven universities: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Louisiana State University, Howard University, and Syracuse University, as well as some 70 Historically Black Colleges and Universities through the Common Black College Application.

So far, he’s heard from one school, LSU, which not only offered him a spot in its student body, but also presented him with a top tier, merit-based scholarship package.  

He wants to be an orthopedic surgeon 

As the teen prepares for the next stage of his academic journey, he’s already looking ahead to his career path with his eyes set on becoming an orthopedic surgeon.

Dig deeper:

Earlier this month, he got a lot of love and attention when an Instagram post went viral as he was celebrated for his stellar GPA and his ambitious goal.

Antoine was attending the Black College Expo at the Oakland Convention Center when educator and best-selling children's book author Claudia Walker highlighted the high school senior on social media, sharing his successes.

"They don’t hype this enough!!! 4.3 GPA High School varsity athlete. Future orthopedic surgeon," she wrote on her video as the humble teen was surrounded by two bystanders who expressed their excitement for him. 

He said when the two strangers got wind of his GPA, they wanted to shout it out to others around them. "So then he's like, 'No, no, we gotta take this to everybody! Everybody’s gotta see this. You doing your thing, bro.' And I'm just sitting here smiling, and he just started yelling it. And it was just such a special moment for me," the teen recounted, saying he felt a little awkward to get all that attention, but that it was fun. 

An experienced patient 

Antoine said beyond his passion for the sciences, like physiology and biology, he's drawn to the idea of becoming an orthopedic surgeon because of his own experiences as an active athlete who has had many interactions with orthopedic doctors. In addition to basketball, he’s also on football and track teams.

"I get injured a lot playing sports," the teen shared, as he raised his right hand for emphasis. "I got surgery on my finger right here, and then I tore my meniscus. And then I'm constantly back and forth to PT, for my ankle… A lot of back and forward to orthopedics, getting MRIs, getting x-rays, getting checkups."

He said his trips to the doctor’s office have made him even more interested in the human body as he finds it fascinating to know how it functions, and with the lessons he’s learning in class, it further inspires him to pursue more of that knowledge.

Passion to help others:

Antoine also said that he believes becoming a doctor would tap into the joy he feels when he can help people.

When a doctor provides answers and solutions about an injury, he said, "I feel so relieved after being helped." 

And his dream is to offer that feeling to others. "Helping others is something that I enjoy," the teen shared.

Peer tutor

He’s found ways to fulfill that enjoyment by tutoring other high school students in math.

"I love math. And I know math is a subject that everybody is not so sufficient in and don't have the same penchant towards math that I do," the high school senior shared. "Because of that, I always help people in math. I kind of tried to kick-start a little math tutoring program here." 

As part of that effort, he’s focused his tutoring on kids in the younger grades at his school. 

"Test rates dropped throughout the years, and I was trying to really just help underclassmen, not just be good at math, but like math because it's a valuable skill to have," Antoine said. 

The teen has also been actively involved in helping other seniors as well as juniors with their college application process, through a program called Peer Forward. 

His involvement and leadership in his school community have not gone unnoticed by his teachers and school administrators.

What they're saying:

"He is magnificent," Principal Nidya Baez told KTVU in an email. "He is a caring leader who advocates for all students, especially those who learn differently. He fights for inclusion of students with disabilities in activities and goes out of his way to make them feel welcomed," the principal shared in her praise for the teen. 

Being a role model

Antoine said he feels a responsibility to show up as a role model and to help and inspire other students around him, something he takes seriously and takes pride in.

"I think the importance of me being a role-model to them is like understanding that they can do the same thing," the teen said. "So like when I walk around campus and I see underclassmen or even my peers that are my age, I’m like, ‘Oh, go to class. Come on. I'm going to come up and take you to class’… And it's little things that is keeping them on track. And that just keeps me uplifted and motivated. I know that what I'm doing and what I portray out to everybody is working, and it is good energy."

That energy is one that is infectious and catches people’s attention.

He's clearly popular among his peers. In the fall, Antoine was voted Homecoming king as part of Fremont's homecoming court. 

‘Something about him’

Antoine's coach from his Amateur Athletic Union traveling basketball team, The Right Way Academy, said the teen stood out among the crowd when he first saw him play in a tournament when Antoine was just in middle school.

"There was something about him," Coach Derek Smith shared with KTVU, noting he made sure to connect with Antoine’s dad so he could recruit the teen onto his own team. 

Smith said he’s been his coach and mentor for the past four years. 

"I wouldn't trade him for nothing in the world," the coach said. "I wish I had 12 of him, you know what I'm saying? This kid is phenomenal. I'm telling you, he's on a whole other level."

That leadership quality shined bright on the team, the coach said. Smith, who also serves as president of The Right Way Academy, also made it a point to note that basketball wasn’t the main objective of his team. 

"The basketball just was the vehicle to get the kids together," Smith explained. "When we travel, we did study halls. They wrote in journals every day. I had them set goals. I don't just do basketball... My thing is about their life, preparing for when the ball stops bouncing. That's my motto. So once that ball stops bouncing, what are you going to do with your life? Because you can't do this forever. You can't play basketball forever."

And he said that messaging was not lost on Antoine. "This kid, he took it and ran with it. He’s just special. He's a special kid," the coach said.

Antoine’s attitude, his hard work and ethics served the entire team well, elevating the others as he set the bar for the other kids.

SEE ALSO: Ranked #1 in California, 12-year-old Oakland basketball phenom turning heads

Coach shared how when the team would travel for tournaments, without fail, Antoine would take the initiative to help out in any way he could, even stepping up to carry Smith’s bags for him, without anyone asking. 

"He was the leader of the team," Smith shared, adding, "The kids listened to him."

The coach, who has dedicated much of his life working with young people, including some 25 years with the Alameda County Juvenile Probation Department, said he hasn’t come across many like Antoine.

"This kid is different," Smith stressed. "He's going to be a great leader in the world one day. I believe that."

Gratitude toward his inspirations

Antoine credits a long list of role models like his coaches who have helped him and inspired him.

"The adults surrounding me," he said, "brings me good energy. They always have some type of quality that I want to take… Because if it makes me feel this way, I know it can make another person feel this way."

The second of six children, he said he’s grateful to his parents, who have been there to make sure he’s cared for mentally and physically and who are over the moon proud of all of his accomplishments. 

"Ecstatic," he said of mom and dad. "They're really proud of me. I appreciate both of them so much for just guiding me."

He also expressed his gratitude to his older sister for her influence.

"I can say pushed me to be the best person without even knowing she has," Antoine said, noting just a year older, his sis, Dominae, did well in school, stayed on top of her work and set an example for him, driving him to take that extra step and do even better.

What's next:

At this point, Antoine said he’s keeping an open mind on what college will look like for him as he waits to hear from all the schools, as well as receive information about scholarships, which will weigh heavily on his decision.

He's also not sure how basketball will fit in, though what he does know is that he wants to prioritize his academics.

He said there were a couple of schools that have reached out and said they want him on their team.

"But I think I'm gonna go for school," he said, adding he hoped to keep the basketball option open, and may consider joining a university team as a walk-on. "I'll try to get on," Antoine said smiling, "and I'll just let God decide that." 

 As the soon-to-be college student looks ahead, he acknowledged there are some nerves involved. 

"I’m not gonna lie," he shared. "I'm just nervous about what school is it going to be? What school is going to be like, that's the standout one. That's where I'm going to go."

But along with the nerves, there’s also an overriding feeling of excitement and gratitude.

"I just appreciate all the support… And I appreciate everybody for helping me," the teen said, adding, "I'm ready."