Chris Lester has faced more adversity than the average athlete in college. Coming out of prep school with multiple offers from Division I colleges, he broke his ankle and those offers quickly fell through; except for UNH.
"UNH had kept its full interest in me, and said they were still really excited about me, all I had to do was get back healthy," said Lester. "When I came on my visit, they really made me feel like a member of the family. That's why I ultimately chose to come here."
The injuries did not stop there. After fully recovering from his fractured ankle, his second practice back his freshman year he tore his meniscus, putting him out the whole season. His red shirt freshman year was no exception as he re-tore his meniscus.
Lester described the feeling of being out of the game as something you love being taken from you. The feeling of not being able to play the game he loves was a large motivation in his recovery. Lester missed two seasons due to injury
"My biggest motivation coming back from injury was that I felt like I still had something to prove. You know coming here, people don't really know who you are, you're on the team but just hurt and people didn't know if I could play or not. I always just felt like I had something to prove, that I belong here and deserve to be here. So even when I kept getting hurt there were still things I needed to do and take care of."
The frustrations in his recovery taught him to always keep pushing, and eventually you will be rewarded.
"Don't give up, you might get knocked down, but if you fall seven times, you've got to get up eight times so I learned to just keep going."
Lester was a three-sport athlete through high school participating in football and basketball, where he won a conference championship in basketball. His family and friends from back home were a large influence on his journey to playing basketball in college. Lester won the conference championship with Barrington
"My parents and some of my closest friends' parents would always help me get to practice. They were just people who always worked hard and provided the things that me and my friends needed. They were positive role models who brought me up in the right way, to be respectful, but also showed me how to grind and do things to become successful in life."
The opportunity to help others has always been important to Lester, because he accounts the support and help of friends and family back home to help him get to where he is today.
"My parents were two of the hardest working people in my life so a lot of times they would be at work, and for me to get to practice I had to lean on somebody else to get there. There's a lot of blessings that have been given to me, so I want to be able to return the favor to other people." Lester and his parents on Senior Night in high school
Basketball has not only given Lester the skills to succeed in life but has created an opportunity to help others in his community back home in Chicago, and here in New Hampshire. The UNH basketball team takes pride in participating in local events like 5K charity runs, and yard sales, and playing with the Dover United Basketball Team. When Lester is home in Chicago, he works with his church group and local basketball teams to give back to the community.
"I want to be that person if there's anything that you need, I'm going to try my best to give it to you. Being able to give back to the community is something that is really important to me." The UNH men's basketball team helping in the community
Lester's perseverance and commitment to his athletics and academics has proved to pay off. Coming back from injuries in 2018, he played his first full season and immediately made an impact on the court and has continued to do so this year. He was recently named the America East Player of the Week for his performance against Stony Brook in UNH's win.
His hard work has not only payed off on the court, but he has excelled academically during his time at UNH. In April of 2019, he was inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society for his exceptional GPA. Lester graduated in three years with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance, and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Business Administration. In April 2019, Lester was inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society
Although Lester has encountered more difficulty than most college athletes, what he has learned from those experiences has helped shape and prepare him for his future endeavors. Whether he chooses to play basketball overseas, or start a company with friends, playing basketball has taught him lifelong lessons that will ensure he is ready for whatever the future brings.
The Wildcats will start America East Tournament play at UMBC in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 7 on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.
