BY LIAM KEITH

He sat down lazily in his seat, a pair of shoes in hand and a water bottle resting in the side pocket of his bag. Already almost halfway through his senior year, He has played basketball consistently all throughout high school from freshman year to senior year, you could say this one means a lot to him. You may see him in the hallways laughing and joking around, but in early November he has no room for jokes. Well, who is he? His name is Jaeson Townsend. 

He may seem like he’s always upset with the consistency of his cold facial expressions, and his sudden serious attitude. Although he is in good spirits for the season, Townsend said, “I’m feeling good… I feel like we have a good diverse roster [of talent].” Jaeson will be playing as a backup guard which clearly no one wants to be the backup, but he didn’t seem upset about his role. Townsend isn’t shying away from his position. He imagines his role as a force multiplier off the bench, a valuable sixth man who functions similar to starters in minutes played. There isn’t anything wrong with shining off the bench, Manu Ginobli, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale are all hall of fame players who’ve won sixth man of the year. So, while now many players have a selfish mentality when it comes to their spot on the roster, Townsend said,”[I want] to show the world what I can bring to a team.” Unfortunately Townsend didn’t get to show his talents for Late Night At the T ( A scrimmage game for the fans to see the teams play early). Number 20 will be available for their season opener against Van Horn at home. 

Team sports tend to make bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime if done right, Townsend draws a lot of motivation by playing with the same group of friends he’s played with since childhood.  According to him, he’s been playing basketball since the age of six. He started getting into basketball when IYAA was at his school, as most basketball players have. When you are a child, you tend to do whatever is stimulating, Townsend said,” Whenever I’m not feeling it or don’t have any positive feelings, I go and shoot around.”  As he grew up he used basketball as his therapy, attacking the rim against imaginary players and practicing his post game speeches. As every kid has done, he would be practicing for a game seven, NBA finals buzzer beater to win the series. Then, for a kid, a ball and a hoop was all you needed and Townsend would spend the majority of his time outside playing.

Basketball can be a cruel mistress, you’re always one airball, bad pass and ugly turnover from being the laughing stock of a team.With all of this it’s hard to want to play during the era where social media is so significant, especially to high schoolers. With all that pressure and all of the downsides it’s reasonable to ask why Townsend continues to pursue the sport Townsend plays because of his grandfather, saying that his grandfather taught him the ins and outs of basketball. Townsend said, “He always told me I would be something, which I’ve used as motivation especially after he passed.” As fans come and go, Townsend knows that he’ll have a fan above watching him play. Townsend will use this extra motivation to use for the remainder of his last season at Truman.

Basketball isn’t just a sport for Townsend, he has made it his livelihood. Whether it was not getting a job due to AAU or being on time to early morning shootarounds, he was there every time. His dedication lies with his family and the love he has for the game is unmatched. For Jae T there isn’t a plan B. He’s placing all his chips on basketball. The safest bet you can make is betting on yourself, and for Jaeson he’s going to pick himself every time.