For junior Julius Shelton, sports have taught him discipline, organization, and teamwork from a young age.

Starting at five years old, he was influenced by his dad to pick up baseball and basketball. Around the same time, he also participated in football, and played up until this past season.

“I stopped because I lost the love for the game,” he said. “I wanted more time to focus on baseball.”

Both basketball and baseball require a lot of time for Shelton. He said that baseball has a psychological aspect that isn’t often considered when discussing the sport.

“It could mentally defeat you sometimes,” he said.

He explained how slumps can affect parts of the game for players, making confidence important.

“I feel like sometimes if you’re just having a bad week or so, it could just defeat you,” he said. “You just have to rise to the challenge.”

Basketball is a different story, as the toll it takes is more physical than mental, and the grind doesn’t stop when the season ends.

“It’s like a lot more than just during the season,” Shelton said. “It’s a lot of work in the offseason, and preparing for it.”

Shelton typically has three games a week, and with that comes balancing school and practice. Staying organized and consistent is something he finds very important.

“My best way to stay organized is just always having a plan, kind of like a program,” he said. “Just keep repeating the same thing.”

Part of that is getting as much work done during school or free time before games and practices.

He also said that high school has made balancing multiple sports more challenging, especially with preparation in the offseason, but his work ethic keeps him motivated.

Along with his own methods, Shelton said his coaches and teammates have helped him with his experience at La Salle as a transfer. He noted that head basketball coach Sean Kelly is demanding, but in a way that has helped him improve.

“He’ll get on you a lot for little mistakes,” he said. “But it’s in a good way though, just to challenge you more.”

He also credited seniors Vince Faris and Kiernan Kelly for their leadership on their respective teams.

“Vince taught me the most for basketball, because I was new to the school, and he helped me along with the plays,” he said.

One of Shelton’s most memorable moments was last year at Gresham High School, when he was pitching the entire game, “Just fighting for my team to even have a chance,” he said.

Beyond getting wins in baseball, Shelton also mentioned how basketball has shaped him as a person, saying he learned “how to handle the workload, such as having three hour practices, and workouts, while also having homework and personal things.”

His ritual before a game is to quiet down, walk in, not talk to anyone, and turn on some music.

“My favorite music before a game is probably just R&B,” he said. “Just to get into a rhythm.”

Given the chance, he would tell his younger self to remember what he is playing for, and that at the end of the day it is important to work toward success.

Shelton has many goals for the next baseball and basketball season. Specifically for basketball, he felt like he didn’t play a huge part on the team this season.

Next season he plans to “prove everyone wrong and have a greater role,” he said.