It is not very often that you get to be coached by a former National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran.
In this case, 6-foot-7 rising senior small forward Zeke Battier is coming off one of the breakout seasons of his high school career, where he played under his dad (Shane) this past high school season, who spent 13 years in the league with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat, where he was part of two championship teams towards the tail end of his career. Shane stepped in for previous head coach Ron Johnson, who stepped away at the end of the 2024-2025 season due to health reasons.
Shane was a three-time state champion at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan, which is located just outside of Detroit. After high school, Battier went on to play for Mike Krzyzewski and Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to two Final Four appearances in 1999 and 2001, as well as leading the way to the Elite Eight in 1998, where they squandered a 17-point lead to the eventual national champion Kentucky Wildcats.
During the 2025-2026 season, Zeke helped lead the Providence Day School Chargers to a 23-7 record and reached the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Class 4A Championship Game, where they eventually had their season come up short of a championship, losing to Forsyth Country Day.
During his sophomore season, Zeke helped lead the Chargers to a 27-5 record and reached the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Class 4A semifinals.
On the Grassroots season, Zeke has played with AWigg Elite, which is on the Under Armour Association (UAA) Circuit, where they are sponsored by Andrew Wiggins. So far this Grassroots season, he is averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
He has made a name for himself on the recruiting trail this spring, where he currently holds offers from Northwestern, Toledo, and Villanova. Expect many more schools to reach out to him as the summer season is approaching.
Before he and his family moved at the end of Zeke’s freshman season, he played at Ransom Everglades High School in the greater Miami area, where he received All-Miami Dade Third Team honors, and he helped lead the Raiders to a 10-16 record and failed to reach the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) regional playoffs.