Tate Kullberg, sophomore, has been playing basketball since he was five years old, inspired by his dad who played basketball in college.

He currently plays on La Salle’s varsity basketball team, and he plans to continue to do so all the way through his senior year.

Before playing for La Salle, he originally began his basketball journey, along with his friends, on a club team that his dad coached. He has played on club teams for most of his basketball career, although he wasn’t on one his freshman year. Some clubs he has played for are Elite 24 Basketball and Eastside Power, both of which he was on for about two years. 

Kullberg’s dad has been a major role model for him throughout his basketball career, along with the rest of his family. “My entire family’s very supportive of me,” he said.

For this season, Kullberg’s biggest goal is to “improve as much as I can, just go out there and work hard every chance I get,” he said. 

Although practices can be tough at times, it is still one of the parts of basketball he appreciates and is something he puts effort into. “Practice is tough,” he said. “It’s the way it should be.” He enjoys playing three-on-three with his teammates and the running drills they do.

Another part of basketball that Kullberg appreciates is the dynamic within the La Salle team. “It’s great,” he said. “We’re all really competitive.” 

He describes his La Salle teammates as very kind and supportive of him. “We all get along really well,” he said. He also really appreciates his coach, Sean Kelly. “He’s hard on us but he’s a really good coach,” Kullberg said.

For people looking to join La Salle’s basketball team, Kullberg’s advice is to work as hard as you can and to try to make connections with the coach. 

Kullberg has a lot to deal with when it comes to balancing academics, homework, and his basketball team. “It’s a lot, that’s why I’m taking study hall right now. It really helps,” he said. At the moment, his strategy is to head to the library after practice to get some of his work done. “I just try to get as much done at school as possible, really trying to utilize study hall, and then after practice whenever I can try to get stuff in,” he said.

Another struggle Kullberg has faced is an injury he experienced over the summer. Because of this, Kullberg had to attend physical therapy as well as take a long break from the basketball team. 

For Kullberg, the season is going well. The team attended a tournament in Reno, Nevada over winter break in which they placed second. Kullberg feels they still have room for improvement, but it is his favorite memory of the season.

Thinking ahead, Kullberg hopes to compete in college, as his father did, and also aspires to play professional basketball.