Marcel Smith: Navigating Time And Energy For The Student Athlete

DETROIT (WWJ) - What is life like for a student athlete and what do kids need to know to succeed?

One unique student athlete wrote a book to help others through the sometimes choppy waters of winning at sports and academics.

Time management and prioritizing can be a challenge to some students who are also involved in sports.

But Marcel Smith, a former Division I basketball player and native of Detroit, is trying to change all that with a book called "The Balance: A Student Athlete's Handbook for Successfully Managing Life with Academics and Sports."

Smith said he got the idea for the book when he saw the struggles some of this friends when through while at Houston Baptist University in Texas.

"I was inspired to write this book because of my friends that I seen failing - not reaching the mark - in many different levels. And seeing them, whether they became successful or they didn't become successful - not knowing how to or why - they were struggling with the place they were at in life," said Smith.

Smith finished his bachelor's degree in under four years and is working on his master's degree.

He's planning on pursuing a career in speaking and training in corporate America by helping executives with team building.