Brother and sister student-athlete duo Taliyah and A.J. Harris are both standouts at Lakeview Centennial High School – Taliyah on the basketball court and A.J. on the football field.
Taliya, a senior, has plans to attend college next year but is not yet sure where she will go. A sophomore A.J. has two more years at LCHS. He plans to attend college after high school as well.
Taliyah has been playing basketball since she was a young child. She has started on the varsity team since her freshman year. Her junior and senior years have been extra special since she and A.J. have both been at LCHS.
“It’s exciting to be a student-athlete where my brother is,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for a long time and I’m glad to have him in the same school, especially during my senior year.”
Taliya said that being a student-athlete is important to her. She knows, however, that the education side of it is the most important. She knows she won’t be playing basketball forever. Her advice for students coming up is to always take care of what they need to take care of in the classroom.
“If you don’t pass your classes, you can’t play sports at all,” Taliyah said.
She plans to play basketball in college and then go on to be a physical therapist and maybe a coach. Taliyah feels that either would be a rewarding career.
A great older sister, she is excited for A.J.’s future as well.
A.J. agrees with Taliyah about the importance of education and plans to attend college. As a sophomore this year, he played on the varsity football team, basketball team and is on the varsity track team. He also played football and basketball in middle school.
Football is his favorite sport because it serves as an outlet for him and it is the sport in which he excels the most. Playing several sports and keeping up with academics can be difficult sometimes but A.J. has his priorities in order.
“You have to remember that the sport is temporary,” he said. “Knowledge is something you have to have your whole life.”
He enjoys playing sports at the same school as his sister. He’s also happy that they have had two years together at LCHS. They also share a favorite school subject. Both like English and like to write. A.J. is thinking about a career in writing.
His advice for younger students is to work hard, keep your grades up and if there is something you like to do, pursue it.
They chose LCHS for several reasons. Their aunt works there, they have cousins that went there and it’s close to their home.
The students’ aunt and uncle, Joel and Juanna Moss, are very proud of the teens. Moss put them in pee-wee sports where they excelled when they were younger.
“They are exceptional student-athletes,” he said. “My older kids played sports at LCHS and I always took Taliyah and A.J. to their games, so they wanted to play sports there, too.”
In addition to Mrs. Moss working at LCHS, one of their cousins is a teacher and coach at Rowlett High School. Another cousin is a coach at Pinkston High School in Dallas.