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FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lane Watson, South Putnam
Lane Watson is a senior at South Putnam and participates in basketball.
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Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?
Lane Watson: “Sports have been really important to me. They have taught me to have a work ethic, and to work hard. I have met my best friends through sports, and I feel really close with the guys on the basketball team. It’s one of the five most important things in my life.”
BG: For you and all the seniors on the basketball team, this was supposed to be “the” big year, and it’s worked out that way so far. How do you think it’s gone?
LW: “It’s been really good so far. We’ve got some really good momentum going heading into the sectional, and I’m excited for the sectional. It’s a big help that we all know each other so well.”
BG: So you’re all not tired of each other yet?
LW: “Not really. We all really get along well.”
BG: You may not lead the team in scoring very often, but coach [Greg] Dean talks about the contributions you make that don’t involved big statistics. Are you OK with that role?
LW: “I’m completely fine with my role. It’s always been that way, and I’ve kind of grown into it.”
BG: What else do you do at school?
LW: “I am in the National Honor Society. We do a lot of community service work and I really enjoy that. We volunteer for events at the school or at the humane society. I played tennis my freshman year, and I played golf the past two years. I wish I would have stuck with tennis. It would have been fun to be part of that team [two sectional titles and one conference title]. I’m not going to play golf this year.”
BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?
LW: “Typically I’m hanging out with my friends and playing video games with them. We play NBA2K and Fortnite a lot. I’m pretty good at Fortnite, and I’m not bad at 2K but I haven’t played that much lately. I started working at Scoops last year. I haven’t worked there during basketball, but I’ll start up again when the season is over.”
BG: What are your favorites in movies, TV and music?
LW: “In music, I like to listen to rap. I like to listen to a lot of Travis Scott. In movies, I like the ‘Avengers’ series. On TV, I like ‘Game of Thrones.’”
BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?
LW: “Skydiving. Allen Plunkett went last summer and showed us the pictures. It looks like a lot of fun, to get that adrenaline rush while falling through the sky and just falling.”
BG: What is your biggest fear?
LW: “Losing my friends if something bad happened to them. Thomas, Allen and I are all going to DePauw together so we will stay close for sure.”
BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?
LW: “My favorite is macaroni and cheese, or any kind of pasta. My least favorite is Chinese food.”
BG: Do you have any pets?
LW: “We have four dogs. A blue healer, an Australian shepherd and two Corgis. All different sizes.”
BG: If your house was on fire, and all living things were already out, what is one thing you would go back and get?
LW: “My letters that my parents gave me from senior night. Those were really nice.”
BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?
LW: “Los Angeles, Calif. We went with my family, and Thomas came with us. We hung out on the beach and took a tour of Hollywood. We went to Disneyland, too, and that was fun.”
BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?
LW: “My parents have always been big supporters. My dad [Neal] played basketball at DePauw and he’s always been coaching me up. When I was younger, they drove me around to everything and that was awesome. The teachers at school support us a lot.”
BG: Describe your overall school experience, both academically and athletically.
LW: “It’s definitely gone fast. It’s been enjoyable; it seems like yesterday I was in elementary school. Thomas was my best friend in first grade, and he’s still my best friend now. It’s been great with the whole group of kids since sixth grade. I know them all really well, and my teachers too. I think I’ve been prepared pretty well for college.”
BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?
LW: “I plan to major in economics at DePauw, and I’m not sure exactly what I want to be. Something in business, maybe in sales or something.”
BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your schoolwork being an athlete?
LW: “The past two years it was a little tougher, but this year it hasn’t been too bad. It’s hard to do it on the school bus.”
BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?
LW: “I had Mrs. [Natalie] Hodge for AP Biology, and that was really hard but I learned a lot.”
BG: After college, do you have plans to live somewhere in the mountains or on the beach, or do you want to live around here?
LW: “I’m not completely wanting to go anywhere specific, but I’ve always thought it would be cool to live on the beach.”
BG: What goals do you have for the rest of the year?
LW: “We’d like to win the sectional in basketball. It would be awesome, and would complete the whole journey we started when we were much younger. That has always been the main goal, and that would be great to go out that way.”