How IMG Academy Student-Athletes Build Confidence

Wins and losses are easy to score — but confidence isn’t something you can define by the numbers. Instead, as you build self-assurance, turn to these five student-athletes to learn their definitions of confidence.

The Believer: Gerard O’Keefe, ’24, Basketball

• What gives him confidence: Knowing that you put in the work can give you the ability to make the shot. You can always fall back on your preparation.
• What he’d tell his younger self about confidence: Always believe in yourself. Remember that you really can do anything.
• His confidence mantra: Someone’s gotta win. Why not me?
• How he stays assured off the court: How you do one thing is how you do everything. I can use the mindset I’ve developed for basketball and be confident on the basketball court, in the classroom, in social settings.
• His confidence hero: My dad. He grew up poor in a big family and made it through a Division I basketball scholarship to get an education.

The Investigator: Elizabeth Doak, ’24, Tennis

• How she boosts her confidence: When I’m not feeling like myself, I recognize there’s probably some other root cause. If I can identify that and talk through it, then figuring out the thing that actually helps — like going for a long run — is easy. I also turn to my faith.
• What she’d tell her younger self about confidence: Fake it ’til you make it.
• How confidence feeds kindness: You have no idea what even the most confident person is going through. Treat everyone like they might be having the worst day of their life.
• How she stays assured off the court: I’ve always been compelled to take the most difficult classes available. It’s actually easier for me to recognize all the work I put in with studying than it is with tennis.
• Her confidence hero: My mom works in law enforcement and gets into these scary situations without any fear whatsoever. She knows her worth.

The Diamond: Gavin Nix, ’25, Football

• What gives him confidence: Seeing where I started and seeing where I am has helped. I can trust the work I put in.
• What he’d tell his younger self about confidence: Think about building a solid foundation. Think about consistency. You can’t always see what your path is going to be, but if you’re building that foundation, everything is going to be OK.
• How bad days shape his spirit: A great game obviously builds confidence, but true confidence is found in times when an athlete goes through adversity. Pressure makes diamonds.
• How he keeps going: Commit to having a growth mindset. How can you be 1% better every day, whether that’s in the classroom or on the field? How can you be a 1% better classmate, a better teammate, a better part of the community?
• His confidence hero: My head coach, Billy Miller. Seeing him face challenges and dominate them with complex energy is huge.

The Super Teammate: Hailee Mack, ’24, Volleyball

• What gives her confidence: If I’m struggling, I have teammates I can go to and be like, “Hey, I need you right now.” I’ll keep cheering them on too, and they do it for me. But you can’t help others unless you’re willing to do it yourself and put the work in.
• How confidence is created: My first day in IMG Academy’s Executive Shadow program was nerve-wracking — I didn’t know what to expect. But my mentors have shown me that my ideas have a place. That helped build confidence because it showed I can be a part of something bigger than myself.
• How IMG Academy boosted her confidence: Being away from home has made me more confident, because I’m becoming my own person. I have an opportunity every day to make my dream a reality. We all step into who we are.
• What she’d tell her younger self about confidence: Failures are going to happen, so take those in. There’s a lesson in them, and I can take them as growth.
• Her confidence hero: My older sister. Whenever I’m struggling, I know she’s going to remind me who I am. If we have each other’s backs, we both know we’ll be OK. We’ve got this.

The Trustee: Sydney Harris, ’26, Track

• What gives her confidence: I stay patient and trust in myself, my training, my coaches, my dedication. When I’m nervous before a meet, I remember that I’ve put in the hours, I’ve put in this work. I’ve done everything I could have possibly done, and I trust that.
• What she’d tell her younger self about confidence: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Not every race you’re in now matters in the grand scheme of things. You lose some days.
• How she stays assured off the track: Find stuff you’re passionate about. I was so bad at algebra in eighth grade and told myself I wasn’t a math person. When I started geometry the next year, it was like, “Oh, I’m actually good at math. Algebra just wasn’t my subject.”
• Her confidence advice: Confidence isn’t linear. You’re not always going to be on top of the world, and that’s OK. How you push through those moments will let you be the best version of yourself.
• Her confidence hero: Sydney McLaughlin, the 400-meter hurdler. I love the way she carries herself: She’s polite, she’s kind, she’s faith-driven. And she sets records. She’s exactly what I want to be.