Meet the sophomore who has a passion for sports and a passion for his friends. Put these two together and the perfect combination is made: basketball.

Cole Turner has made this sport a part of his life since age five, when he started out by participating in Upward, an organization for youth basketball. A decade later, Turner is still living the dream and plays basketball for his Badin Rams high school team.

There are many aspects to the sport that he finds enjoyable, especially “how fast paced it is.” In fact, it is the interaction with others that draws many people to the game, including Turner.

Even when he's not playing basketball for school, he’s playing it for fun. On his own time, he can be found shooting hoops and dribbling down the court with his closest friends. Turner believes that being able to partake in his favorite sport in this way has had a positive impact.

“Being on a team with people you know helps you play better because you can predict their moves and know what they’re going to do,” Turner says.

No matter what sport it is, the people in the surrounding environment play an important part in making one a better athlete. Apart from his friends, Turner also has role models that give him inspiration in basketball. He says he looks up to anybody in the NBA really, but especially Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Turner comments, “He’s just so smooth with the ball and his plays.”.

As a point guard, Turner is a big part of the game, and there are many factors that could potentially affect his performance. Compared to some other sports, basketball requires a lot of running and intense energy throughout the entire game. To keep himself up to par, Turner always makes sure to consume something before he’s ready to play.

“I feel like I have to eat before I play, I just can’t run on an empty stomach,” he says.

Another pre-game routine he shared was eating McDonalds. Although fast food is not everyone’s first choice, Turner said it just doesn’t really affect him.

Making it to the professional level in a sporting career is a common goal among young athletes. Turner has a similar goal and hopes basketball is a part of it.

“I want to continue to play basketball all four years here at Badin,” Turner says.

As Turner has learned, friends and sports make the perfect balance and will hopefully continue to influence him throughout his entire Badin basketball career.