Staff Writer
After spending the past three years of his high school career focusing on volleyball, senior Keith Waddell decided to try out for the Mira Costa basketball team in his senior year.
After joining the basketball team and making varsity this year, Waddell shocked everyone with his ability to both play the sport and interact with his teammates.
“Keith has been a great addition,” coach Jeff Amaral said. “He’s a character, and I say that in a good way.”
Waddell tried out for the basketball team freshman year and didn’t make the team; however, he stayed with the team as a manager. He then left the basketball program until his senior year when he decided to tryout once again for the team.
“I’ve always played basketball non-competitively, but I decided to tryout for the team because I wanted to get in shape for volleyball,” Waddell said.
The transition from volleyball player to basketball player was not an easy task. Much time and effort was put into fine-tuning form and talent, but Waddell managed to do so gracefully.
“We put a lot of time in before the season,” Amaral said. “He did a great job acclimating himself.”
Although the two sports are very different, the skill sets have similar trends, and practicing for either volleyball or basketball has proven to benefit the other.
“Volleyball has taught me how to deal with pressure situations,” Waddell said. “There are many of those in basketball, and it helps to know how to deal with them.”
The choice between basketball and volleyball practice and whichone to work on in his spare time can be overwhelming, but Waddell has learned how to cope with the pressure by playing two high school sports.
Waddell is an integral part of the basketball team, often putting up the majority of Costa’s points and grabbing many rebounds. He has had multiple double-digit scoring games this season.
“He brings a different style to the game, and he adds many positive tangibles to the team,” Ameral said.
Leave a Reply