Griffin Greenberg is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sierra Linda High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX — While star wide receiver Stephon Daily closes his high school career on the turf, he transitions to his next area of representing his school, the basketball court.

“It’s my last time playing a sport that I love so much. I never really had a full season besides my freshman year. This is my last chance, I don’t want to miss out,” Daily said.

The pandemic halted Daily’s sophomore year hopes of hooping and a torn meniscus held him to playing just one game in his junior year, but he was positive he wanted to play basketball his senior season despite injury risks and a commitment to Colorado State to play football next year football commitment which makes his story even more interesting.

Daily crossed his high school football finish line with a 102-yard performance in his final game, a fitting goodbye to his prep career before he heads to Colorado State to play football next year.

But, Daily and his younger brother Seth, as well as Deshaun Smith and DJay Ross are among the multi-sport athletes at Sierra Linda High School that are in the football-to-basketball season transition.

The turnaround for these athletes from their last football game to their first regular season basketball game is quick.

These four athletes have three weeks to prepare for the basketball season after finishing their football seasons, and that doesn’t include exhibition preseason basketball games if they choose to have them and playoffs if they were eligible.

With basketball and football being such different sports, these athletes have different training routines to quickly transition into as the seasons switch. Stephon said that the football season requires an emphasis on strength in his workouts, while basketball season requires conditioning.

Both Stephon and Seth fell in love with the game of basketball before football. They think that playing multiple sports not only helps them stay in shape year-round but also helps maximize their opportunity when getting looked at by colleges for the sport that they’re better at.

“I’m going to keep playing every sport. I heard that colleges like multiple sport athletes. I’m going to get to college in one of them at least,” the younger Daily said.

Both of the Dailys also participate in multiple events in track and field, with Stephon hitting an impressive high jump personal record of 6-foot-8. With many believing too much emphasis placed on your body in multiple sports harms it, studies have found that there are benefits for these multi-sport athletes in long-term situations.

Multiple doctors collaborated with The American Journal of Sports Medicine and examined NBA players who played multiple sports in high school to those who did not in regard to their injury status in their career.

In their research, 15 percent of players were found to have played multiple sports in high school, and of that about a quarter of them sustained a major injury in their career. In contrast, 43 percent of NBA players who played one sport in high school sustained a major injury in their career.

Also at the time of the study, 94 percent of multi-sport players were still active compared to 81 percent of single-sport players.

This isn’t the definitive indication that these athletes are going to make it to the NBA and have a prosperous career, but rather to note the long-term effects on their bodies that adapting to both sports has helped them improve if they do pursue playing sports after college.

Tyrone Preyer, who is Sierra Linda’s football and track coach, takes pride in members of his team playing multiple sports.

“I’m big on dual sport athletes. I feel like your best athletes play more than one sport, they don’t just specialize in just football,” Preyer said.

Preyer mentions how he pushes athletes himself to play more than just football or track and supports them through action. He is seen running the scoreboard at basketball, helping out at wrestling, and doing other things to stay involved and support his players.

Preyer also sees benefits in multi-sport athletes in how they represent the school. Although this is his first year at Sierra Linda, he identifies how the community is involved within the school and at high schools overall, and a big way in doing so is through sports.

Sierra Linda noticed an increase in school spirit because of their football season in 2021, where they had an 8-2 record after going 1-39 the previous four years before the pandemic. With newfound success, the culture changed and students are more involved in both wanting to play sports and supporting sports.

Although the basketball team finished with a record of 4-19 last season, Stephon is excited for this year’s team, referencing the new additions at the head coach and point guard, which are expected to give the team the boost they need.

Daily is seen as a leader within the school, displaying great character and teaching lessons to teammates and coaches on how he plays at a high level in multiple sports.

“He respects the games of all the games he plays, he respects the football field, he respects the basketball court, he respects the track, and at the end of the time, he respects his body and his body rewards him because of it,” Preyer said.

Sierra Linda’s new head basketball coach Chase Boydston served as the team’s assistant coach last year and has been coaching since 2008.

Boydston also knows how much of a leader Stephon is to the Sierra Linda sports community and praised his leadership and character.

He recognizes the differences in the style of play between basketball and football and acknowledges that he and his staff ease those football players coming over into the basketball season.

Boydston said he didn’t want to pressure the athletic Colorado State football commit into playing basketball his senior season but was obviously excited upon learning that Stephon was all in for the season.

And like Preyer, Boydston emphasizes the importance of multi-sport athletes at the high school level.

“I think we as coaches should encourage multi-sport athletes. At the end of the day, it’s about their high school experience. We just want to be along for the ride and create good relationships and make it as enjoyable as possible [for them],” Boydston said.

The new head coach talked about his experience with those multi-sport athletes on his team transitioning from football to basketball and praised their will to represent their school. He also talked about some of the benefits football players bring to a basketball team.

“A lot of the motor skills translate from football to basketball, especially the mentality and focus on toughness in football really helps out in basketball. That’s one thing I think DJay and Stephon and Deshaun and Seth can bring to us, that toughness,” Boydston said.

Boydston even goes as far as comparing individual positions in each sport.

Most importantly, he notes how the quarterback is the leader and most vocal in football and how the point guard takes on that role in basketball. Although Stephon doesn’t play quarterback or point guard, he takes on that leadership role and Boydston seems eager to see who else will do so for his squad this season.

The model of Sierra Linda sports in the Daily era has been culture.

Stephon helped turn the football team into a winning team last year, and he and the other players plan to bring that energy to the hardwood and deliver a winning season in basketball.