Sophomore Theartis Battle found his passion for basketball at the mere age of ten. His favorite part of playing basketball is “just making friends and having fun with teammates.”

Part of playing at the varsity level under Head Coach Seth Goldberg is playing with and against so many great, high-level athletes. “It’s fun competing at a high level and letting your talents show how good you are against other talented people; it’s fun,” Theartis said.

Theartis has so much love and passion for his sport. He explained that he gets his inspiration from his uncle who played, and how he naturally fell under his wing after many years of looking up to him.

Outside of the high school basketball season, Theartis spends his time with family, prepping for another season at JC, and playing AAU basketball. “I like to spend time with my family, watch movies with them and play games,” he commented.

Along with quality time with family and friends in the off-season, varsity basketball players train with consistency. According to Theartis, workouts include “a lot of running, a lot of leg workouts and upper body workouts, and always getting up shots in the gym.”

The American Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit sports organizations in the states. Most high-level players and even NBA players play in the AAU circuit. Theartis himself plays for Crusader Nation, a team based out of Columbia, MD.

The piece of advice that Theartis would give to young athletes who aspire to play at the varsity level is “Never lose your love for the sport.”

One day, he hopes to play at the collegiate level and even play in the NBA.