Being one of the tallest seniors (6 foot 4 inches), senior Roodney “T-Money” Martinez participates in the boy’s basketball team. Martinez has been on the team since his freshman year and is currently the small forward/power forward.

While already playing football, Martinez decided to try out for a different sport. Luckily enough, he had just started high school and they were doing basketball tryouts. Martinez was told by his friends that he should try out for basketball, and so he did.

Ever since that tryout, Martinez has remained part of the basketball team, and uses the rush of competition and family to motivate him. “I love making my family proud every time they see me out there on the court. I want to be the best for my team so we can be able to have the best results, and when we’re losing by a couple of points, I’ll work even harder to make sure we don’t lose. Playing with my team is like playing with my second family,” Martinez said.

Martinez attends basketball practice everyday till roughly 6:00 p.m. and dedicates the rest of his free time to playing at a local park with friends. “Playing at a local park and playing for the school’s team are two completely different things. At a local park, it’s mostly with your friends and it’s all about having fun. Playing for the school team is much more organized, intense, and full of pressure.”

When asked about his favorite experience with basketball Martinez said, “I always have flashbacks of different games we have triumphed in the past seasons I’ve participated in. I can’t choose a favorite memory, it’s quite difficult for me. But every game we win, it all feels so amazing; it’s the best feeling in the world. Everything the team did on the court and everything we did at practice finally paid off, and the entire team feels the same way: proud.”

Martinez is currently challenging himself by facing new obstacles such as raising his grades. He is also trying to figure out his plans for the future, since he wants to work in sport-related careers. Martinez believes that by doing so, he can reach his full potential and be successful.

“If I don’t make it in basketball, something sport-related like sports medicine or being a sports analyst is what I would like to do. If I do make it, I’ll continue playing the game at the level that is good for me.”

Overall, Roodney Martinez is one of the key players on the basketball team ever since 2010, and will continue to be a proud balling Cavalier.