Just over four years ago, junior Matthew Tesfa’s basketball career formally began — after a long break from his initial start in kindergarten — with his goal being to remain close with his family and friends.

As the years have gone on, he has built more connections and found a strong liking for the sport.

“I like playing basketball just because I like to compete,” he said. “I want to compete against other people, I like that competitive edge.”

Another reason as to why Tesfa continues to stick with the sport is because of all the work he already dedicated to it. 

“I’ve already put so much time in,” he said. “There’s really no point in stopping now.” 

Additionally, he added that the time and effort have led to results, and those results are what keep him motivated. 

Since starting the sport again in middle school, Tesfa has had many valuable opportunities in his basketball career — one of them being swinging up to varsity — especially since coming to La Salle from St. Ignatius School.

“Last year, I swung when we went to state, and this [year] is my first full year of varsity,” he said. 

During his time competing at state, Tesfa feels he really grew as a player, considering he was playing alongside older teammates. 

“I just learned so much, just how to handle myself and stop acting like a little kid,” he said. 

His hope for this school year is to make the playoffs again, something that requires diligent work and consistent training. 

“We’re just learning as we go, and just trying to fight for a playoff spot right now,” he said. 

To Tesfa, “if you miss a day, you’re falling behind,” he said. “I feel like there’s always opportunities to get better, and it’s just on you to take those opportunities.”

However, coming off of a successful previous season at state has brought in some added pressures and expectations not just from the coaches, but from the school community as a whole.  

“Everybody [has] expectations for us, and we’re held to a different standard than the rest of the teams at the school, you know,” Tesfa said. “If you lose the game, you’re heavily critiqued, and if we win a game, it’s like, you’re supposed to do that.”

Life, balancing school, and sports can sometimes get tricky, but Tesfa notes that he has appreciated teachers’ flexibility. Often, he will not get around to homework until 10 p.m; a result of long practices. 

A teacher in particular that was one of Tesfa’s favorites was Ms. Jane Nitschke, a former religion teacher who retired after his sophomore year. 

For him, “she’s always just had a soft spot in her heart for me, you know and was always flexible and [she] helped me out with whatever I needed,” he said. 

Beyond school and his life on the court Tesfa enjoys many other things. Most notably, he likes to get himself outside and experience the cultures of the world. 

He thoroughly enjoys trying new foods and learning about people’s backgrounds, something he prefers to “being cooped up in the house all day,” he said. 

In regards to his future goals, Tesfa hopes to continue basketball beyond high school. He also strives to go into the medical field, with his top career path ideas currently being anesthesiology or nursing. 

While keeping in mind these goals for himself, he also looks to his mother for inspiration, someone he said is a hard worker. 

While he strongly admires her and all that she has done, he shared that she tells him “not to believe in motivators, [and that] you have to want it yourself,” Tesfa said. 

Additionally one other thing his mother preaches “is that [you] have to go and earn it yourself,” he said. “Nobody else is gonna go do it for you. So I guess I motivate myself.”

That mentality is similar to what he wants to show the La Salle community in the remainder of his time here. Being a junior, he hopes to leave a lasting positive impact on the school through his connections and personal development.