Breon Pass - Strength Through the Struggles

NC State basketball guard Breon Pass has quickly made a name for himself with the Wolf Pack as he enters his second season with the team. A star in both football and basketball during his high school career, it would be basketball where Breon would choose to pursue his future. As he prepares for an elevated role with the Wolf Pack in his sophomore season, fans will be excited to see his contagious energy and smile on the court. While Breon treasures every chance to play the game that he loves, the road has not always been easy.

Breon’s life changed in the summer of 2019 when his father, Curtis, passed away at the age of 41. Not only did Breon’s father help coach and train him throughout his life, but he is also who Breon called his best friend. As Breon and his family tried to cope with their loss, answers were hard to come by. However, even in the darkest of times, Breon says that he gripped onto faith, and it has helped guide him through the pain ever since.

“Faith really kicked in once I lost my father in 2019. I was down at my lowest, didn’t even want to hoop anymore. I felt like I lost everything. But God never left my side and helped me gain my faith and confidence back.”

Breon says that he learned that even in the hardest of circumstances, God was still in control.

“Without God, I would not be where I am at today.”

After committing to play basketball for NC State out of high school, Breon saw action in 25 of the team’s games during his freshman year. As he suits up for the Wolf Pack, he says his faith guides him every time that he takes the court.

“Faith plays a big role in my basketball career. First and foremost you gotta have faith to be able to do anything in life, not just on the basketball court. Having faith has brought me a long way, from middle school athletics to now playing at NC State.”

Breon credits that faith as the reason he is where he is today, and says it is what will carry him throughout the rest of his life.

Throughout the trials in Breon’s life, he says that he has learned any situation can be used for good. As he looks towards his career on the court, he says he hopes his impact carries beyond just the game of basketball.

“The biggest impact I hope to have with my platform and gift is to spread to others that with God on your side, you can do whatever you want to do. Sometimes God will put you through things to test you, sometimes even put you down to your lowest where you feel like He has given up on you. But that is not true at all. Even when He is putting you through a bad situation, He is always with you.”

As Breon and the Wolf Pack prepare for the rest of his sophomore year, they look to bounce back from last year’s campaign and find themselves back in the NCAA Tournament. With a strong 13-4 start to the year, Breon says that he has learned to take advantage of every day and treasure each breath that he takes. Whether on the basketball court or in life, he hopes his story can be used to inspire everyone in whatever they are fighting.

“Even with my journey, I want others to look at me as motivation. Motivation to people who feel like their whole life is done just because of one situation. I feel like God put me through that just so I could be able to tell my story.”