Senior Keean Edeline first started playing basketball as a kindergartener. “All my life I’ve been playing basketball,” he said. “That’s where I grew up.” 

As a captain, Edeline’s goal for the team this season “would be to win state,” he said. He is always striving to be a leader and to help his team play their best on the court every game. “We all have to be ready, and prepared mentally and physically,” he said. 

Edeline believes that the friendships built within the team are what make the team special. “I think just our friendship, where everyone on the team is so close,” he said. “It makes it so much easier. And that we can do so much better on the court.” 

Within the basketball community, Edeline looks up to Lebron James, a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Edeline shares that he looks up to James not only because “he’s one of the best on the court, [but] because he’s done so much for people with the money he has made,” he said. 

When Edeline feels tired and unmotivated while playing, he finds that his parents and his friends on the team help him overcome because “they are always pushing me to be the best person I am,” he said.

Playing basketball while keeping up on schoolwork is a very difficult task for Edeline, especially during the basketball season. Edeline feels that time management and making sure that he is on top of all of his assignments is the key to making sure he is doing well in school as well as basketball. 

This upcoming season, Edeline is excited and looking forward to making it to the championship game and hopefully winning state. 

When playing an opposing team, Edeline doesn’t see any teams as “better,” but instead he tries to value all of them and play with the same energy throughout all of their games.

“I don’t see any teams as hard,” he said. “I don’t. Every team is the same. They’re all people playing basketball… I don’t see any pressure.” 

Edeline most importantly values the voice of Mr. Sean Kelly, the head coach for the team, who he feels does a good job of making everyone feel like they are a part of the team. 

“I think to be a coach you have to be very vocal with your team,” he said. “Make sure everyone is included and make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Because of this sense of community, Edeline said it is “very tough” to know this is his final year playing basketball at La Salle. “I’m going to be pretty sad about it,” he said. “Just because it is going to be my last year playing organized basketball, which I’ve been playing for all of my life.”