Sophomore Tyler Newell loves to play basketball both in and outside of school. When he isn’t playing on the Junior Varsity team for the Battlin’ Bears, he plays in the AAU tournament in Houston over the summer.  

Newell’s biggest inspiration in life is his mom. As a single mother, he said she has sacrificed a lot in order to make both him and his sister her priority.  

According to Newell, his primary goal in life is to be successful, both financially and otherwise. His greatest motivation is failure. Whether it’s losing a basketball game or not getting the grade he wanted, failing is always what pushes him to work harder and reach his full potential.  

Newell loves to listen to other people and enjoys it most of all when people confide in him. His favorite class this year is Engineering II.  

“I love the way Mr. Collier teaches things and explains things using real life situations,” Newell said. “The class is also very hands on and forces me to use critical thinking.” 

Newell said he believes that anything is possible if you put in enough time and effort into it. His favorite quote is from Muhammad Ali: “Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”  

According to junior varsity basketball coach Nate Smith, Newell is a great kid.

“He’s very dependable and always where he’s supposed to be on the court,” Smith said. “He’s smart, hustles all the time, and is a leader on the JV basketball team that anchors our defense.”