An All Time Star at a High School Basketball Powerhouse, All "A"s since KinderGarten, going to Harvard.... all after losing his Mom at 9 years old. 

Of course not one  "hint" of Italian Heritage!!!!! 
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WINNER SHAPED BY LOSS OF MOTHER AT 9 YEARS OLD 

Los Angeles Times
By Eric Sondheimer
December 22 2002

Christmas is only three days away, so it's a perfect time to tell the story of a senior basketball player at Crescenta Valley High who has never received a grade other than an A since kindergarten.

When he was 9, Goffredo faced the ultimate test for a child: the death of his mother.

"I was staring at the ceiling of my parents' bedroom listening to the ticking of the clock. Right next to me, my dad and my sisters were awake, victims of the same insomnia. None of us spoke. Silence seemed to be the only response to the uncertainty and fear that pressed on our hearts.

"Silence was the only way we could show each other that hope still existed, that no matter what the doctors said, maybe a miracle was possible. But then, at 5:46 a.m., the silence was broken by the piercing ring of the telephone.

"My dad answered and in a broken voice whispered, 'She's gone.' At 9 years old, I had to face the reality that cancer had placed its deadly grip on my mother's life."

When a young boy loses his mother, he could become a bitter, rebellious child. But Goffredo had a father and two older sisters to watch over him, and basketball to serve as an emotional release.

John Goffredo was the basketball coach at Crescenta Valley for 19 years. He was a fiery, demanding perfectionist. The death of his wife, Kathy, left a wound in his heart as painful as that in Jimmy's. They found strength in each other.

"He started looking after me," John said. "We actually became buddies. When someone was feeling down, we'd comfort the other. It was an automatic reaction."

John gave up coaching to prepare his only son for life's trials and tribulations.

"Through the passing of my mother, I have learned that life is not something to take for granted. Even when she was too weak to get out of bed, she never complained about the pain. She was the toughest person I have ever known, and every day I try to match that strength in my life."

Goffredo grew up watching and reading about Crescenta Valley basketball. He knew it was a school that produced high-scoring guards.

The tradition started with Brad Holland, who averaged 34.9 points in 1975. Then came Greg Goorjian and his 43.4 average in 1978. Harvey Mason averaged 28.6 in 1986. The Falcons have always preferred guards who weren't afraid to shoot, and Goffredo fits the bill.

He's averaging 33.4 points after nine games, including two 47-point performances. He has 1,890 career points, putting him in position to pass Holland (1,917 points) and move into fourth place among the school's scoring leaders.

During a recent three-point shooting contest with his coach, Adam Jacobsen, who scored 2,157 points in his Falcon career, the 6-foot-1 Goffredo made 22 in a row to Jacobsen's 12.

But Goffredo's life revolves around much more than basketball. He has been accepted to Harvard, where students pursue the dreams of a lifetime. His college decision has given him peace of mind and helped lift his basketball fortunes.

"Such a terrible experience might leave some people truly broken, but I let it become my motivation to be a better person. Rather than use my mom's death as an excuse to do poorly in school or to remain unhappy, I decided that it would drive me to succeed."

Goffredo never set out to be perfect in school. His mom was a math teacher and made sure homework came before basketball.

"When I was little, I didn't say I didn't want to get a B my entire life," he said. "It didn't seem realistic. Last year, I realized I'm getting close to the end of high school and thought it would be pretty nice to not get a B."

He's taking Advanced Placement classes in English, calculus and economics, along with a class in sculpture. He has a 4.3 grade-point average and scored 1,350 on the Scholastic Assessment Test.

When he says something deemed not very intelligent, his friends tease him. Such is the price for choosing Harvard. He visited the campus in October and felt his mom's presence.

"She's probably so proud of me where I am and where I'm going to be," he said. "I'm sure she couldn't imagine me going to Harvard."

His mother is gone, but his stepmother, Stevie, has provided unconditional support and guidance.

"She's as close to a mother as a stepmom can be," he said.

But no one is more thankful for how Goffredo has prospered than his father.

"Jimmy's an amazing kid, better than his grades and his basketball skills," John said. "He's an incredible, caring young man, a special kid."

Harvard requires a 500-word personal essay as part of its admission process. Goffredo wrote about his mother.

"In the midst of my grieving, I learned to endure. Of course, I would give anything to be with my mom again, but that is not something I can control. And, when I need her most, I always remember that my mom's spirit lives on through me."
*
Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com. 

Winner Shaped by Great Loss 
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