Freshmen Tyler and Ethan Schultze are identical twin brothers who play basketball for the boys’ De Soto High School basketball program. While both brothers mainly play for junior varsity, Tyler has earned playing time on the varsity squad.  

Tyler is very happy to be playing with the upperclassmen and knows that he will have to work hard to stay where he is.

“Yeah [I’m excited]. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s fun to play basketball with the upperclassmen,” Tyler said.

The twins are fitting in well, and instead of heckling or being hostile towards their new, young teammates, the rest of the team has been very accepting and welcoming to the new additions.

“They [the upperclassmen] are very supportive,” Tyler said.

Before tryouts, Ethan was not expecting to get on a high level team his first year of highschool.

“I was hoping I would [get on a high team], but I just played hard at tryouts and got the spot I wanted,” Ethan said.

Matt Rice, head boys’ basketball coach at DHS, says that Tyler is a focused athlete and that the team is getting along with him well.

“He’s a pretty laid back kid that just works hard and he doesn’t say too much,” Rice said. “I think the upperclassmen respect him as an athlete.”

Rice thinks that Tyler’s best quality as a basketball player is how he can hold his composure in high-pressure situations. This characteristic, along with his athleticism, is why Rice tapped him to come off the bench in recent varsity games, despite his age.

“For a freshman, his poise is surprising. He doesn’t get too flustered too easily. Sometimes he can, but for the most part he doesn’t. He’s also a good athlete,” Rice said.

Rice thinks Ethan, who practices with Tyler and the upperclassmen, is working hard mentally and physically.

“His [Ethan] best quality is probably his willingness to be coached,” Rice said.

Rice thinks that both Ethan and Tyler still have a lot to learn about basketball, but so far they are doing very well with what they know.

“Both of them are raw as basketball players. They’re good athletes, fairly skilled and they can make plays, but they have a lot to learn how to play at a higher level of basketball,” Rice said.