As the clock runs down, the Dowling Boys Basketball team is in the lead but only by one. The team knows what is at stake, facing the number one ranked Valley. Valley is positioned to throw the ball in during the last eight seconds of the game. One of Valley’s players throws it in, and the press is on. They make their way up and attempt a lay-up, but Charlie Crane and another player block. When the Valley player falls, the time dwindles and the team storms onto the court. Dowling had won! But who was the other player who helped ensure his team’s victory? Well, that player is the feature for today’s spotlight, Lucas Paoli! So, hoop with me and see what drives Paoli to success both on and off the court. 

Paoli, a Dowling senior, was born on July 9th, 2006, in Des Moines, Iowa, to his loving parents Jon and Sarah Paoli. He has a younger sister named Olivia, a sophomore at Dowling.

Paoli attended St.Theresa’s from Pre-K to 8th grade, and he cherished his time there. He became close with his classmates and loved the diversity it offered to him. One impact he has taken away from his grade was to appreciate people for who they are regardless of where they come from and just to exert kindness to everyone you come across. 

Presently, Paoli is uncommitted on where he wants to go to college, but he knows he wants to play basketball. When asked about what possible careers he is interested in, he answered an orthodontist. He got braces when he was younger and had a lot of work done on his mouth. Paoli, being a young child at the time, was very curious about it and was introduced to a rabbit hole of orthopedics. 

Paoli has had an amazing experience here at Dowling, and he loves the teachers and classmates he encounters. He loves how it is different from his grade school but also allows him to encounter new people. He has also grown in maturity regarding his faith. One example of his faith growing was Paoli attending the freshman retreat and going on Kairos. Paoli is comfortable being himself and uses the kindness he has learned growing up to make friends in high school. He prepares academically for the real world by taking AP classes and ones he knows he can apply later. 

 

One activity Paoli is involved in is being the captain of the boys’ basketball team along with junior Maddox Coppola. Also, he has been in a Serva Fidem group with the same group of boys since freshman year. He stated to me that their faith has grown, and it’s beautiful to see how a person can change through faith.

Some teachers who have had an impact on Paoli are Mr. Lensing and the one and only Mr. Tiedeman (you should go check out my feature on him). Paoli admires Lensing’s passion and style of teaching. He also acknowledged that Mr. Lensing is a personable and down-to-earth person who wants Paoli to succeed. Similarly, he loves the passion Tiedeman has and how he makes hard things easier to understand. His joy and personality are what drove Paoli to succeed in and enjoy his English classes. Another influential mentor in Paoli’s life is Coach Einerson, who is the head of the boys’ basketball team. One thing he loves is Einerson bringing faith into basketball. He has shaped him to become a better player but most of all a better person. He pushes the team to grow in their faith and quotes Bible verses at every practice when he can. 

Now, we can’t mention Paoli without basketball of course! He has been playing basketball ever since he could remember and loves the sport a lot. His favorite college team to watch is Wisconsin and his favorite NBA team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Playing basketball, Paoli has had to handle a lot of adversity and learn how to push through it.

An obstacle Paoli has faced in his life is basketball related injuries. He struggled with them as they were detrimental and affected his playing on the court. Being the strong and motivated person he is, Paoli stayed positive, and even on the bench, he encouraged his team to push hard to succeed. He kept pushing through his injuries, and now, he is out on the court scoring points left and right.

As stated previously, faith plays a huge role in Paoli’s life and has been pushing him forward through life. He grew up in Catholic education and was exposed to the faith at a young age. His whole family is either Catholic or Christian and has received Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation through St.Theresa. He believes Confirmation is the final stage of young faith-filled people and knows moving on, his faith is on him. Paoli connects with his faith by talking to God either through prayer or just in his everyday thoughts.

Paoli also reads his Bible, and his favorite verse is Corinthians 10:31, which is “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”  He believes that whatever you do, you do it through for God. Lastly, Paoli stays positive and sees God in his everyday life whether it’s in the halls or outside of school.

Paoli offers his service and gratitude by volunteering through basketball. Whether being a coach, an official, or a ref, he is there to mentor the young generation of ballers to success. He also offers his time at food pantries and DCHS activities such as the Pancake Breakfast. In the summer of 2024, Paoli counseled for one week at Catholic Youth Camp in Panora. He started off regretting his decision to counsel and distanced himself away from the other counselors and campers. Eventually, he enjoyed it a lot and made a conscious effort to be a good influence and make the kids happy, which in turn made him happy.

Alright, here we go! The fun facts of Paoli that everybody wants to know!

• His family is from Wisconsin
• Has a dog named Oscar who is a Mutt
• His favorite animal is a bear because they appreciate nature, and he thinks they are playful
• His favorite hobby is hiking, and he would love to live in the mountains
• His dream vacation is the Swiss Alps
• His favorite food is steak (medium rare, of course!)
• His favorite artists are Jack Johnson and Bon Iver
• His favorite movie is Interstellar because of the soundtrack and how suspenseful and emotional it is
• His favorite basketball player is Kevin Durant
• His favorite color is green

“Tomorrow is now.”

That is a piece of advice that Paoli offers to readers. His reasoning behind this saying is that one should never procrastinate. “Do it so your future self can benefit from it.” He wants your future self to be happy that you didn’t push things off.

I can’t do a “Student Spotlight” without discussing the influence of friendship. Paoli loves his teammates on the Dowling Boys Basketball team, and he has gotten close with them. He enjoys doing stuff with them beyond games and practices. He loves growing close through sports and believes sports is a good gateway to many friendships. He also stated to me coming to Dowling offers opportunities to befriend new people but also strengthen friendships from middle school. 

The theme I observed while interviewing Paoli was that he is a positive and persistent person. As a basketball team manager, I’ve seen his leadership as the team captain and how he pushes the team to success day in and day out. I also noticed his diligence as he mentioned going through his injuries a lot but bouncing back from it as a stronger player and a person. He knows how to adapt to uncomfortable situations and also push through them, which is what I admire about Paoli.

“Be optimistic”

That was Paoli’s concluding message to me as we were wrapping up the interview. He thinks it is better to go through life with positivity, truly resonating with his history of kindness in his younger years. Paoli believes positivity is an important factor in one’s mental health and going through the journey of life.

If you ever see Paoli in the halls, never be afraid to say hi or what’s up because he offers you a smile. He is a smart, kind, and awesome person to get to know who truly cares about anyone he knows. Also, watch him on the court as he scores bangers and leads the basketball team to success.