Point guard for the Palomar College basketball team, Jason Danso works hard to represent his friends and family in Ghana. Danso will be playing his second season at Palomar. Jason is looking to become a business major.
Growing up, Danso would go back and forth between California and Maryland. He attended high school at Rancho Buena Vista High, but would spend his summers back in Maryland to see family. Danso said in a Zoom meeting that the biggest difference between the two places was “everyone’s pretty blunt out there, in Cali everyone is pretty mellow and chill. They take basketball a lot more serious out there.”
Danso almost signed with Frostberh, a Division 2 school on the east coast, but he ultimately chose Palomar because “it was a good fit” and “out of all the schools I feel like they wanted me to play for them the most.”
Danso’s parents came to the U.S. from Ghana as kids. As passionate as he is about basketball, he is even more passionate about his family. Danso wants to show the people of West Africa that they can follow in his footsteps.
“Just putting on for them and showing that you can be a student athlete, just putting on for people at home, showing you can get the opportunity to come to America and play college basketball, or just being in college in general, finding a career in what you like to do,” said Danso.
Leadership is something Danso is good at. “Basketball taught me leadership as well, being a point guard you gotta lead the team, I’m a very vocal person in general and it helps me lead,” said Danso.
Danso’s hustle and defensive mindset help set the tone for his team. He uses his words to motivate. Playing the point guard position, Danso feels like a natural leader for his squad.
Danso says that being vocal on the court translates to other aspects of life. Being a business major, his outgoing personality helps with networking and “getting into different environments.”
It came as no surprise to hear that Danso’s biggest influence growing up was his mother. “My mom would take me to all my practices when I was playing school and club and all that, waiting in the hot car while I worked out and stuff, being there to pick me up , she’s probably my biggest influence for sure.”