Most students would see a 9 a.m. school start time as an opportunity to get more sleep. Not Teagan Swint.

Well before school starts, he’s in the gym lifting weights or shooting free throws. He wakes up, drives to the gym, showers and heads to class. The team is on the court six days a week—four practices and two games—but Swint is there by himself on the seventh. 

“He’s one of these kids that loves the solace of being in the gym by himself and hearing that ball go ‘swish,’” said head coach Paul Connolly. 

It’s this work ethic that led Swint to become the 19th player in Newton North High School history to break 1,000 points in his high school basketball career. The team co-captain achieved the feat in the first quarter of the team’s Feb. 11 game against Weymouth. While scoring 1,000 points wasn’t necessarily a goal—Swint said he’s much more focused on the team’s successes—he was excited to break the threshold once he realized he was within its reach. 

“It felt cool, it’s something you think about a lot,” Swint said. Because he was only 3 points away from the milestone at the start of the game, “it was something I knew was going to happen, and in that way it was cool.” 

Reaching 1,000 career points is no easy feat for a high school athlete, Connolly said. Swint has played in roughly 75 games over the course of his three years on the varsity team—he was out for about 15 games his sophomore year because of a foot injury. 

“I’m really proud of him,” Connolly said. “His work ethic is fantastic. He’s a real leader, kind of a silent leader, but he’s becoming more vocal, more confident. And then obviously, his ability to put a ball through a basket makes us tough. He makes us a good team.” 

Beyond putting up points, Swint’s place as captain makes him a role model for young players. Freshman Henri Van de Velde first met Swint while practicing at the Y, and sees him as someone to look up to. 

“He’s a good leader,” Van de Velde said. “He’s a really nice person and gives some great advice.” 

Swint’s co-captain, Nicholas Spinelli, played alongside Swint from the start: third grade basketball, where Swint’s dad was their coach. Watching Swint grow has been “amazing,” Spinelli said. “He’s just so good now.” 

“Off the court, he’s one of my closest friends, and just seeing his mindset and how he is so constant—I’ve never seen anyone put in more work,” Spinelli said. “He’s always here. His car is always the first one in the lot. He’s confident … it’s awesome to see that.” 

Swint is committed to play basketball next year for Johns Hopkins University, where he plans to study applied mathematics. For now, though, his eyes are on the playoff season, which kicks off Thursday with a game against Cambridge Rindge and Latin.

“I just want to live in the moment,” Swint said. “We’re in the playoffs right now, and I think our team is good enough to make a deep run. I try not to think about any extra stuff that’ll make you tense up and not play as well, so you just gotta stay present in the moment and give your all every day at practice.” 

This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.