WINDERMERE, Fla — The Windermere High School boys basketball team is one of the best in the state and is led by 6-foot-8 senior TJ Drain. For TJ, draining down buckets comes naturally.

“I’m versatile and consistent,” Drain said. “I’m not too cocky. I just go with the flow as I play. I’m aggressive whether I have the ball or I don’t. I’m always moving.”

During the Metro West Conference tournament, Drain moved up in the career rankings at Windermere High. He scored his 1,000th-career point during the tournament, but the best thing that came out of it was winning it, a program first.

“Something that has never been done here, especially with a talented team like this,” he said. “It will definitely help us in the right mindset for district and regional games and then, hopefully, in Lakeland when we play in the state finals.”

His success on the court has led to an opportunity to play at the next level. On Nov. 14, he put pen to paper, signing his national letter of intent.

“I’m going to further my academic and athletic career at Liberty University. Mainly when I stepped on campus I felt drawn toward it,” Drain said. “I am really big in furthering my faith as well, and I want to live a God-centered life and Liberty is definitely the place to be.”

When he steps on campus for the Flames, he plans on studying biochemistry and molecular biology. Fortunately, Drain can balance his work on and off the court based on his impressive grade-point average.

“Here I have an unweighted 3.5 and weighted a 4.1, student first,” he said.

Basketball is what helps him balance everything in his life.

“When you have a lot of stuff going on in your head, you can step on the court, and it all starts to go away,” Drain said. “Playing the game and watching the ball go through the hoop a couple of times, especially guys like my teammates, they make it fun.”