Sports Spotlight: Tya Freeman | Observer Preps

A senior co-captain on the Legacy Charter girls basketball team, Tya Freeman has made quite the name for herself. The talented guard leads the team in scoring (23.2 ppg), assists (2.1 apg) and steals (3.3 spg). With her high-school career winding down, Freeman hopes to play ball at the next level before eventually going into a career in psychiatry.

What got you started playing basketball?

I don’t really remember the age I started playing, because I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember. My parents both loved the sport, so that’s what got me into it, and both of my older siblings played.

Through your four years, what would you say has been the biggest highlight of your high-school career?

One would be Coach B (Blessing Freeman) — she’s the best. And also when I scored 1,000 points in my junior year. That was special.

What is the hardest part of playing basketball?

The hardest part would be to just stay focused, because when you’re in the game there’s a lot of things going on, so you need to make sure you’re doing what you need to do so your team is successful. You just have to stay focused and play hard.

What is the best advice that Coach Freeman has given you?

Her whole thing is to go hard in everything you do, whether that’s on the basketball court or in the classroom. Everything you want to do, and everything you choose to do, you just need to go hard and 100%.

What’s the difference between playing club ball and high school?

I would say the competitive level. I feel a lot of times in high school, people just come and play because they can get on the team. But in AAU you actually want to play basketball — you want to take basketball to the next level — so everyone there is just at a higher level.

Do you have any plans after you graduate?

I want to play college basketball and also get my degree. Education is very important to me, because I do want to go into the psychology field, but I also want to play basketball too because it’s a big part of my life.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I want to say Jamaica. I’ve never been, but it feels like a fun environment and could also be relaxing.

What is your favorite meal after a game?

A lot of my teammates would laugh at me, but Popeyes. The biscuit, the mashed potatoes, beans and rice, and, of course, fried chicken.

When you grow up, what do you want to be?

I want to be a psychiatrist. I feel like psychiatry is a great choice, because it has the therapist aspect and also to just help people get better.