Noah Portalatin, also known as Agent 0, is a sophomore at Lawrence University, and an LFHS alum. This year, he is looking to make a name for himself on and off the basketball court.
After an imposing high school career, Portalatin was given the opportunity to play basketball at the collegiate level. Portalatin has proved that he’s not only an outstanding athlete, but also an impressive business man.
For Portalatin, it started off by surrounding himself with the right group of people that share his same level of dedication.
“I feel that it is very important to keep yourself surrounded by the right people who are always going to be pushing you to be your best, but having those same people appreciate being pushed as well,” Portalatin said.
Portalatin has always felt that his work ethic is what has led him to where he is now. Even though it is not easy to be consistent, Portalatin always found a way to make sure he was being the best he could be that day.
“Hard work always beats talent,” Portalatin said.
Seems simple enough, but being the best doesn’t come without sacrifice.
“I have sacrificed a lot, especially when there is only a limited amount of time I can hangout with my friends. The hours I am training are late at night and I also spend a lot of time planning workouts for the kids and watching films for them. I also have to be a player myself so I still need to get my own workouts in,” Portalatin said.
Although Portalatin is rapidly improving as a basketball player and a businessman, it all had to start somewhere, and for him that was checking into his first varsity game against Libertyville his junior year.
When playing Libertyville, every game is a championship game. No matter how good either team is that season, there is always a very high level of competition.
For most people, having a game like this be your first varsity game ever may be intimidating. For Portalatin it was a chance to show he belongs at the varsity level.
“I remember going into the game and there was a little bit of time left and I had 5 points right away,” Portalatin said. “It was a great feeling just to be out there because I have never played in a game before, and Libertyville was the best in our conference at the time so that was probably the best feeling.”
Varsity Head Coach Phil LaScala praised Portalatin for his work ethic while he was on the team.
“Noah is a kid everyone enjoyed being around. He was a great teammate and did everything for the betterment of the team,” LaScala said.
Although Portalatin has many high school accomplishments, going to college is another level. Many people, once they get to the college level will slack off and forget any work ethic they had back in high school. This is not the case for Portalatin.
“He’s a super hard worker and is always hitting me up asking if I’m trying to get some work in,” former teammate Anthony Mordini said.
Portalatin took the knowledge from high school and applied them to college with an even stronger drive for greatness. Immediately upon entering college, Portalatin started his business as a basketball trainer.
“Being a high-level trainer of any sport isn’t easy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to help people…Noah is always someone who tries to better the people around him. Whether it’s on the court and he’s pushing you to finish the last rep or off the court and offering to drive you to a workout, he will always show an eagerness to help,” former teammate Alex Forowycz said.
Portalatin has come a long way in his coaching career. What started as coaching 5th graders has since turned into working alongside an NBA player.
With dreams of becoming the next big coach, Portalatin plans to work for a high-level basketball team, and make an impact on the environment around him.
“I know I want to get involved in something like an internship next year for either a G league team or something along the professional lines either that be WNBA, NBA, G league or just something along those lines,” Portalatin said. “…At the end of the day I could be a good trainer but it’s also like the kids working hard on their own. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
Noah gained a great amount of knowledge through the success of starting his own business.
“When you learn the small details, they lead to the big moments. You obviously have to experience the little details and little pain but it’s the big moments that keeps you hyped up and keeps you going because you’re working for those,” Portalatin said.
