By Blake Chadwick
Tiernan Ptacek has grown up around basketball, and now, as a junior at Southeast of Saline, he’s applying that lifelong experience to lead his team on the court.
“My biggest strengths are giving effort and staying calm under pressure,” Ptacek said. “For our team, I think our biggest strength is resilience. Even though our record isn’t what we want, we don’t quit on games.”
Basketball has been a part of his life since he was a toddler.
“I started playing at a very young age,” Ptacek said. “My parents started a program called Monday Night Mayhem when I was 3. We would come to school on Monday nights to do sport-specific skills, including basketball. I played on my first YMCA team when I was 5 and played MAYB basketball for the Southeast Swish and WCS Steelers for many years.”
Ptacek’s mindset on the court is simple but focused.
“My mindset is to get better every day. Practice is where I focus on the fundamentals, and games are where I try to compete and have fun,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ptacek hopes to continue basketball at the next level, but his plans also include academics and coaching.
“Right now, I’m still figuring that out,” the junior said. “My plan is to go to school to become a teacher and hopefully a coach someday,” he said.
Ptacek also understands his impact on the future of the program.
“Younger kids watch what we do, so showing them that improvement comes from hard work is important,” Ptacek said. “I am a coach’s kid and was lucky to grow up around the athletes my parents coached. I learned so much from them, and it made me hungry to get better and follow in their footsteps.”
