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Foster, a senior at Hamline, has athletics in his blood. From a very early age, his father, who was also an athlete, got him started in sports and he has been involved in organized athletics for as long as he can remember.

“I’m sure when I was younger I had a ball in my crib or a little hoop to shoot on,” said Foster.

Foster, an only child, grew up with his parents impressing upon him the enjoyment of sports and the importance of school. It’s paid off.

Foster chose to come to Hamline because it allowed him to fulfill both of his passions: playing multiple sports and helping kids.

“I never really thought about going to Hamline, but my dad had a friend in the admissions office so I decided to visit,” he said.

What he found when he got here was that Hamline was a good fit for him athletically and academically: “Hamline is a small, good school and playing D-III made it so I can play two sports [basketball and baseball] without getting set back academically.”

So far, Foster has handled the difficult task of being an athlete and handling a rigorous class load well. But it hasn’t been without difficulty.

He commented on this in his profile on the Hamline Athletics' website:

“I’ve definitely encountered challenges playing sports in college. Coming in, everyone’s a little bit bigger, a little bit faster, and the game is definitely a little bit different. One of the challenges is finding time on your own. School is so important and takes so much of your time but the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages, or else I wouldn’t be doing it.”

He has high hopes for the basketball team this year after the excellent season they had last year. The team officially started practicing in mid-October. The team will be heading to Colorado this weekend to play a few games and prepare for the upcoming season.

Foster said that this year’s team should be strong because they didn’t lose many seniors last year and their top-two scorers, who were first-years last season, are returning this year with a year’s experience under their belt.

“We might not be as deep as in the past, but we’re playing an up-tempo type of basketball this year, using our size and speed. We definitely have a chance at conference,” he said.

He was quick to talk about how strong the team is and the strengths of the other players, but was very modest and humble about his own accomplishments.

Some of the highlights from last years season were finishing fifth in conference in rebounds and fourth in steals. He averaged 11.8 points per game during conference play which earned him an impressive nod as All-MIAC honorable mention.

After college, Foster plans to use his Physical Education major to become an elementary school phy.ed. teacher, as well as a sports coach.

He said that his “major was originally business but I really like little kids, and I used to take care of a couple of little kids so I figured what better way to give back, it’s a good fit where I get to help out and do something that I like.”

He will be student teaching next fall and hopes to start substitute teaching for schools soon after that, and eventually get to his larger goal of coaching high-level sports.

“My ultimate goal is to hopefully become an athletic director and with that, try to coach at the highest level possible, but I’ll start young and work up,” he said.

Look for Foster on the basketball court soon, and later on this year on the baseball diamond. Piper basketball starts their season Nov. 17 against Colorado College. It’s a home game and tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.