Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Like many high school seniors, Batavia’s CJ Valente has plenty to ponder as he prepares for his future. One question, though, looms large and overshadows the rest as the holidays approach.
What will it be, basketball or football?
At the start of summer, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound two-sport standout who plays forward in basketball and tight end/wide receiver in football felt confident he knew the answer.
“One hundred percent basketball,” Valente said. “And then this fall, I had a good season, I’d say, and more opportunities opened up for football.
“I’m just starting to realize that, so I’m looking at my options right now.”
Valente’s dilemma was driven home Wednesday night when he had a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in leading the Bulldogs to a 59-45 DuKane Conference victory at St. Charles North.
“I thought he had a lot of good mojo going early and he got to the rim and got himself to the line a little bit,” Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. “CJ is somebody who is starting to come on here.
“The more those guys who had a late start with us get settled in, the better we’ll be.”
Four of the 11 players who saw action Wednesday for Batavia (5-2, 1-1) against St. Charles North (4-3, 0-2) played significant roles on the school’s Class 7A semifinal football team.
“Everybody’s different,” Nazos said of the transition from football. “A guy like (running back) Charlie Whelpley, who got hit on every single play, or a linebacker like Ben Fiegel may be different from someone like CJ at receiver.”
Valente, who averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds last season to earn honorable mention all-conference, has been recruited for basketball by high academic NCAA Division III schools and some D-II schools.
“A few of us have been coming into the gym early, like at 5:45 a.m., to get extra work in,” he said. “A few stay after practice for an hour or so to do more stuff.”
The toughest adjustment?
“Conditioning and rustiness,” Valente said. “Everything is a little off. We have a lot of fouls in practice, I’ve noticed. People that are big and strong and hit a lot in football might take a little more time.”
His breakout season in football featured 28 pass receptions for 564 yards with eight touchdowns.
It helped him receive preferred walk-on interest from schools like Northwestern, Illinois and Eastern Illinois
“I’m still choosing what I like more,” Valente said. “I’ve always trained for basketball, and football was kind of just a byproduct of that. I started to realize if I start to focus on football, maybe I could break out in that sport as well.”
Valente and his teammates were focused Wednesday on bouncing back from last Friday’s 37-23 conference loss to Lake Park as the Bulldogs went 19 minutes and 30 seconds without scoring.
“We’ve been working on being fluid because we were very hesitant,” Valente said. “Today we were playing loose.”
Jax Abalos and Jacob Aseltine added 10 points apiece and senior point guard Nate Nazos, the coach’s son, had eight. That included 6 of 6 shooting on free throws on a night the team went 12 of 12 from the line.
Parker Reinke scored 14 points to lead the North Stars. Jake Furtney added 10.
Batavia forced 11 turnovers in the third quarter to extend a 28-24 lead to 47-34.
“We preach ball pressure and it starts with Nate Nazos,” Valente said. “He’s always up in the other point guard’s grill, and that’s why he’s such a great player. He’s always there.
“My legs are coming back, but I’m still working those kinks out on my shot. It will come at some point.”
