Doneilous King is a prolific public speaker, coach, community organizer, athlete and teacher. Among all his titles and accomplishments, he is most proud of being a Thomas R. Proctor High School alumnus, graduating 25 years ago in 2000.
Lalampahan SMA nya ngawangun jalan hirupna. Éta masihan anjeunna kasempetan pikeun ngeunteung kana tantangan anu anjeunna ngalaman nalika tumuwuh Utica , kitu ogé meunangna (duanana literal jeung figurative) nu diartikeun anjeunna.
"Datang ti kamiskinan hirup di jero kota Utica , Abdi tiasa nyebutkeun dimana anjeun ngamimitian teu nangtukeun dimana anjeun rengse. Aya pinding pérak pikeun sadayana anu urang alami dina kahirupan sareng pandangan urang sareng pendekatan urang nyaéta bédana. Kuring parantos diberkahan dina kahirupan kuring pikeun dihubungkeun sareng seueur jalma anu hébat pikeun ngajantenkeun kuring janten milik, ngabantosan kuring mendakan kakuatan anu teu aya watesna anu aya dina diri kuring, sareng ngabantosan kuring sadar bakat kuring, sareng ku kituna kuring yakin yén urang sadayana gaduh tujuan, ”saur Raja, nyarioskeun jalanna dina kahirupan.
Impressively, King still remembers the names of his teachers and coaches as if it were yesterday. He found a family among his peers and educators in the Utica City School District. “Ralph Lupia was my track coach. He's the best coach that I had in high school. And I used what he taught me for basketball and every other sport. He combined a tough love with an incredible passion, and he was innovative. I remember him going to symposiums and conferences, trying to learn new things. He had a different approach even at the high school level, and it was just amazing to see. He saw something in me and taught me things about myself in terms of trying different things and putting in extra work. He was incredible,” King says.
Inside the classroom, one math teacher also stands out. “My calculus teacher, Mrs. Dorozynski, was amazing. She had this incredible combination of nurture with a sternness and a no-nonsense approach to getting things done, and then we would always end our classes or tutoring sessions with a smile. And I'm connected with both of those folks today,” King says.
Not every day was a perfect one for this student-athlete. King learned the hard way that discipline and tough love were essential. Serving a suspension once cost him training time for what became one of his proudest achievements: winning the New York State Championship (Class AA) 4x4 relay in track and field. His name remains on the wall at Proctor for that victory. “What that taught me is that you’ve got to follow the rules. Your team relies on you, and you have to do your part. If you work hard, you know you can achieve great things,” King says.
Lagu éta sanés ngan ukur olahraga anu luar biasa. Anjeunna ogé unggul dina baskét, kéngingkeun gelar runner-up Bagéan 3. Anjeunna nyorong murid-atlit ngajajah sababaraha olahraga. Nalika ditaroskeun ngeunaan naséhatna ka murid-atlit, anjeunna ngawaler, "Nepi ka anjeun janten elit, maén saloba olahraga anu anjeun tiasa. Coba tingali naon anu anjeun pikahoyong tapi ogé ningali naon anu anjeun saé. Sareng upami anjeun bogoh atanapi ngalaman sababaraha kasuksésan sareng hiji, nempatkeun saloba waktos, panalungtikan sareng dedikasi anjeun tiasa kana éta. Urang sadayana gaduh 24 jam anu sami dina sadinten, sareng kalolobaan jalma ngora, umurna tujuh jam, sareng seueur jalma ngora anu nyéépkeun waktos beurat, tujuh, genep jam. aranjeunna nuju diajar pilem. Aranjeunna nuju ngalakonan ngembangkeun skill, aranjeunna nuju ngalakukeun psikologi olahraga sarta jadi hal ieu geus jadi hiji seni jeung sains sabenerna, sanajan di tingkat ngora.
This notable alumnus has given back to the community by organizing basketball leagues and academics. He has served as a coach, organizer and mentor. King has given back by organizing basketball-enriched programs like Doneilous King Basketball Academy, Utica City Rocks AAU, and King of Kings Pro-Am.
His programs, including King of Kings (for men and women) and the Summer Pro-Am for Upstate New York, drew players from as far as Buffalo and New York City. Now retired from coaching, he was most recently the head varsity basketball coach at the Utica Academy of Science, where he coached his son. “We were the first Black head coach, father-son duo for Varsity Basketball in Utica’s history,” he says, treasuring the experience.
King values teamwork and family. Today, he serves as the Senior Counselor for Educational Opportunity and DEI Specialist at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. He’s also taught as an adjunct professor of sociology. He earned a master’s in sociology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor's in biology from the University at Albany.
How did he jump from science to sociology, you might ask? “I studied biology at first because I wanted to become a physical therapist. I had a hamstring injury from track and loved physical therapy. I said, this is magic! I want to do this! Later, I combined my knowledge of kinesiology, movement and sports with modifying the human condition. I help people achieve goals physically, mentally and spiritually. It became a holistic approach—mind, body and soul—and that connected to sociology.”
In college, King discovered he thought like a sociologist before he knew the term. One inspirational professor sparked his interest. “I wanted to know why inner-city neighborhoods were designed the way they were. Growing up, I didn't know if that was just the way that God wanted it to be, or was there something else at play? And what I found out later on, was that some systems are in place that put design in our lives. Sociology is a study of human behavior and interaction. I've been enamored and really just in love with it ever since.”
In closing, King shares, “I am who I am today: an athlete, father, business owner, educator and a professional because of my family, my community and what Proctor and the Utica City School District did for me. I'm truly thankful to the Utica City School District.”