Brotherly Love – Tea Areas Freidel Brothers
Growing up with a brother can be fun at times and it can also be terrible at times, especially if you grow up with an older brother.
That what it was like for Noah Freidel, a senior guard for Tea Area.
“Growing up with someone that always wanted to play basketball was nice,” Noah Freidel said. “I always had someone to go against, and I would always play with him and his friends when they were older and better.”
Freidel said that growing up and playing with those guys definitely made him better in the long run.
His older brother Ethan graduated from Tea Area in 2017 and currently plays basketball for Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. He agreed with his brother that it was nice to have someone to play with.
“It was a challenge, to say the least growing up with Noah,” Ethan Freidel said. “Because he always wanted to be the absolute best at everything he did. He hated losing, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We have always been close, but ever since he started high school is when we became the closest.”
Basketball wasn’t the only sport they both have played over the years as both really enjoyed football and it was Noah’s favorite sport up until middle school when it switched over to basketball. Noah also has been apart of the soccer team who have been competing for titles every year as well.
Noah and Ethan Freidel got to experience what few do, playing alongside each other as brothers and winning Tea Area’s first state championship in basketball.
“It was an enormous deal to play with Noah,” Ethan Freidel said. “Not many people get to say they played with their brother, let alone win a state title alongside him. I think the championship was just the icing on the cake. It really helped us prove ourselves as hard workers and big-time players.”
Noah agreed that playing with his brothers on the team as well as his actual brother was amazing.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better team to win it with,” Noah said. “Everyone was so close and played that way.”
Now that Ethan has graduated and started his college career with Briar Cliff, the brothers still are huge supporters of each other even if Noah doesn’t show it Ethan laughed.
“I am a huge supporter of Noah,” Ethan said. “I want him to go wherever he has the best opportunity and where he is going to have fun. Deep down Noah is a huge supporter of me as well. I root for Tea just like he roots for Briar Cliff.”
Playing one-on-one with your dad or your older brother can be very frustrating growing up, but every kid will remember the first time they finally won. For Noah that was one of his favorite memories growing up.
“One of my favorite memories is when I first beat him in one-on-one,” Noah said. “I was finally tall and strong enough to win. I still remember what court and what shot I hit to win it.”
When you win a state title with your brother in high school it’s kinda hard to have a better favorite moment with him.
“My favorite moment and I think I can speak for everyone,” Noah said. “Was when we won our town’s first-ever state title in basketball.”
Winning a state championship in high school was a huge accomplishment for Ethan and then you factor in he was able to win it with his brother and dedicate it to their late grandpa.
“I would have to say my favorite moment with Noah was probably winning that state title,” Freidel said. “My grandpa was always a huge supporter of us and when he passed away before my senior year, it just meant so much to me and my family to win it all.”
Ethan also talked about how as an older brother it has been really special to see how he has grown as a player and came out of his shell.
“Other than winning state another good memory was watching Noah drop 36 points as a freshman against Madison who was the number one team in the state at the time,” Freidel said. “We ended up winning the game and it was really fun seeing him come out of his shell. Another was when each of us scored 30 points my senior year in the Tea classic which was dedicated to my grandpa.”
Noah is set to start his final season as a Titan, while Ethan is set to start his sophomore season at Briar Cliff. Both have experienced great success in their basketball careers, with Noah making the state title game two years in a row and looking to make it a third. While Ethan was a solid role player in his first season with the Chargers as they made the Elite Eight of the NAIA DII Men’s Basketball National Championships tournament.