Just a few months removed from making a state-title run with his Neumann Goretti football team, Shawn Battle is helping the Saints’ basketball team make a similar run.
“I like always having a chip on my shoulder,” Battle said. “I’ve just been like that ever since I started playing sports, so I’m used to it.” “When I get him to play at a good pace, he really puts pressure on these defenses … His best asset, besides his toughness and defense, is [that] he’s a very good passer. He’s got really good instincts.”
Battle “was huge for us,” Crosby said. “Going into that state semifinals game, we were down seven starters, and to have him take that lead for us … he led offensively and defensively. It was a game that we came up short in, but it wasn’t because he wasn’t leading. He led us in so many ways that day.”
Although football has always been Battle’s first priority, basketball has always been a part of his offseason plans at Neumann Goretti. Yet, this year has added an extra wrinkle. Battle’s performance on the football field has helped him emerge as a blue-chip recruit. The junior is currently rated as the No. 11 player in Pennsylvania in the class of 2023 and has drawn offers from a host of Power 5 schools, including Penn State, Oregon, Nebraska, and Texas A&M.
Battle has already taken several unofficial visits, and earlier this month, the three-star recruit visited Nebraska. He also recently announced on Twitter that he will be taking one of his official visits to Florida A&M, a historically Black college and university. In recent months, several big-time recruits have chosen to attend HBCUs instead of Power 5 schools. Early in his recruitment, Battle is also exploring whether an HBCU might be a good fit.