Braheme Days of Bridgeton to continue track career at UCLA

Bridgeton High School's Braheme Days is considered one of the top high school throwers in the country.

Bridgeton High School’s Braheme Days Jr. has been a top track and field athlete in the shot put event and been sought after by many Division I universities.

Days has shut the door on many of those schools when he verbally committed to attend UCLA Wednesday. He is one of the nation’s top prospects, with his dominating throw of 70 feet, 8 inches during the 2011-12 winter season the second-best ever in the state of New Jersey. His throw of 69 feet at an indoor meet last month was the best in the nation at the time.

Few tend to realize that the success, broken records and championships didn’t come overnight for Days. Before all of the hype, there were many hours of intense weight training, practice and studying Days endured under the tutelage of Bridgeton track and field coach Warren DeShields.

It was DeShields who first saw the potential in Days as a shot put and discus thrower and decided to mold the young athlete into the finished product he has become today. Many hours were not only spent learning the proper form of throwing, but also perfecting it so that Days could achieve the maximum distance and remain in bounds on his throws.

“I always saw potential in him (Days),” said DeShields. “The work that he has put in throughout his high school career is truly a testament to him as an athlete. He has really trained hard and worked his way to where he is today.”

Some felt once Days injured his knee last outdoor season — diagnosed as an inflamed IT band — that some colleges would be scared away from offering him a scholarship. According to DeShields though, that was hardly the case.

“The injury really wasn’t that serious at all,” DeShields said. “The colleges knew that, and definitely still saw him as a D-I contender.

“The schools knew his potential to be a great shot put athlete was very high, and the knee is a non-factor at this point. It was a minor injury that he has fully recovered from.”

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.