Peyton Siva: The Legend

Peyton Robert Siva Jr. was born on October 24, 1990, into a troubled Samoan family in Seattle. For his early life, he lived near an intersection of three gang territories. His father, Peyton Sr., was never around because he struggled with drugs and alcohol. His father was always in trouble with the law as well, and his sister was often caught for shoplifting. By the age of 13, Peyton Jr. had taught himself how to drive. He drove to find his father who had been reported missing for about a week, and Peyton found his father in a drug den holding a gun to his head. Peyton convinced his father to put the gun down, and his father has been forever changed by these actions

Peyton Jr. desperately wanted to avoid the fate of his other family members, so he started playing sports. When he tried out for youth football, he was too light, so he stuffed his pockets with playing cards and cell phones. He was soon known as a relentless athlete on the field and on the court. Siva helped his fellow athletes avoid drugs and alcohol as well as gangs.

In high school, Peyton led his high school to win two championships, and was the unanimous selection for Washington's Mr. Basketball award. He graduated as a 4-star McDonald's All-American and committed to Louisville on May 16, 2008.

Peyton backed up Cardinals' star Edgar Sosa in his first year at the U of L, but he managed to average 3 assists a game in 11 minutes a game. The Cards made the tournament as a 9 seed, but they lost to Cal in the first round.

In Siva's sophomore year, he started all 35 games for Louisville, averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. In two straight games against West Virginia and Connecticut, he hit game-winning layups in the final seconds. He was selected to the All- Big East Honorable Mention Team, but his 4 seeded Cards were upset by Kenneth Faried and the 13 seed Morehead State.

As a junior, Peyton Siva struggled with his three-point shot, making less than 25% percent of his attempts, and turned the ball over way too much. Coach Rick Pitino was furious with Siva, and he scolded Siva for getting caught up in two many things. Siva was to only focus on two things- school and basketball, because Pitino need Siva's 100% attention. After this, Siva turned into the player that Mr. Basketball, and was elected the 2012 Most Outstanding Player in the Big East Tournament. The 4 seeded Cardinals made it to the Final Four before being knocked out by arch-rivals Kentucky.

Siva, now a senior, was ready to lead his team to the final goal, a national championship. The Cards were No.2 in the preseason polls and Siva was the preseason Big East Player of the Year. Siva won his second Most Outstanding Player Award, tying Patrick Ewing as the only two players to win the award twice. Siva made huge plays in the NCAA Tournament, leading the Cards to the National Championship in a tight win over Michigan. Siva left Louisville as the all-time leader in steals and third in assists.

Siva was recently drafted and signed by the Detroit Pistons. He was married this July in the KFC Yum! Center. Siva is a devout Christian who gives thanks to God in all of his actions. Siva is one of the most liked characters in basketball, and hopefully he will have a great career in the NBA.