Athlete of the week: Josue Figueroa

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - It's time for the final Athlete of the week for the winter sports season. Dean Tech's Josue Figueroa, the Paper City's all-time scoring leader earns the honor.  Figueroa is the 22News athlete of the week.

"When I broke it, that's when I enjoyed it", says Figueroa. 

Dean Tech senior Josue Figueroa is the City of Holyoke's all-time leading scorer. In February, Figueroa broke Ray Witkos' record.

"I never thought about it during the season, I started thinking about it when my mom brought it up", says Figueroa.  He continues, "She kept track of the points, she really wanted me to break the record."

Figueroa finished his career with 1652 total points and was the leading scorer in Western Mass this season.

"When I start feeling it, my teammates keep passing me the ball and I keep shooting", says Figueroa.  He adds, "Coach Ortiz tells me don't stop shooting even if you're having a bad day."

Figueroa crafted his game at the Holyoke YMCA when he was little. It was his first taste of organized basketball and helped shape him into the player he is today.

"A lot of people don't see that organized basketball is way different than street basketball, so if you went to the YMCA when you were young , you'll start having the organized play as you get older."

Figueroa is a scoring machine and works in the machine shop at Dean Tech. This semester, Figueroa is doing his co-op at the Marox Coorperation in Holyoke. Figueroa is using his skills in ways he never thought possible.

"We make parts for the body, when you get operated on, your spine, we make the plates to help people walk in their knees", says Figueroa.