HTRW: Where are you going to college? Also, what are you
studying and do you plan to continue to play basketball?
Ellie: I attend the University of Virginia (UVA) but my major is undecided. I
love playing basketball so I am planning on playing on a co-ed intramural team. I want to keep basketball in my life in some capacity
because I have had such success with it thus far.
HTRW: What are your basketball accomplishments to date, and
your favorite aspects of basketball?
Ellie: I love how fast paced basketball is, and how everyone
has to learn everything. This is very unlike other sports where you only have
to play offense or defense. In basketball, you have to be a well-rounded player
in all aspects of the game to be a great player. I had my greatest accomplishments in high school where I was a
four-year varsity player, and a three-year starter. Over the course of my high
school career, I scored over 1,000 points (1,020 to be exact), and was also
the number one free-throw shooter in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. my senior
year. My sophomore year, I made first team All Dulles District AA. My junior and
senior year I made second team All Cedar Run District AAA.
HTRW: Wow! It is great to see what a decorated player you have become through your hard work and dedication.
HTRW: What are your academic accomplishments to date, and
your favorite things about school?
Ellie: I was accepted into UVA, and I just started my
second year there. In high school, I graduated at the top 5% of my class, was
on the All A Honor Roll all four years, and was one of the
editor-in-chiefs for my school’s year book. I was also a Loudoun County Public
Schools Excellence in Education Honoree and invited Coach Ken as my mentor. At
the end of my senior year, I received the United States marines Scholastic
Excellence Award, one of the only awards for which you didn’t apply.
HTRW: It is never an easy thing to balance a sport and school and excel in such an astounding way. Keep up the great work academically because going above and beyond in the classroom will open many doors of opportunity!
HTRW: What drives you on a personal level and in basketball?
Ellie: In both basketball and in life, I like people to be
proud of me-whether it be coaches, teachers, or my parents. I really hate letting
people down. When I’m given a responsibility or job, I do it to my full
potential and don’t hold back. “Go hard or go home” is what I always say.
HTRW: You really do have the drive of a true leader. You feel the positive pressure from others who want to follow in your footsteps and have the motivation not to let them down. That is fantastic!
HTRW: What are your basketball goals and non-basketball
related goals?
Ellie: My biggest basketball goal right now is to keep playing the sport that I love, which is why I am going to play on a co-ed intramural team here at UVA. For non-basketball
related goals, I’m currently in the middle of deciding what my major will be.
HTRW: Playing intramural basketball is a great opportunity because it allows you to meet new friends and keep basketball in your life in some capacity!
HTRW: What is an interesting fact about yourself that most
people would not know?
Ellie: No one really knows, but I actually love to sing. In
fact, I recently joined an a capella group at UVA.
HTRW: You know, we've had a few players say this as well. It might be a worth trying to work in a HTRW a capella training session once a month! But in all seriousness, congrats on joining an a capella group and we know that UVA has a rich tradition of a capella singers. As you already know, the movie "Pitch Perfect" in 2012 that featured one of UVA's a capella groups.
HTRW: What is your funniest Coach K moment?
Ellie: One of the funniest moments with Coach K for me
actually happened back when I first started training with him. For a while, I
didn’t do any group training sessions, just individual ones. The group sessions
were always right after mine though. After I trained with Coach for a while, he
would let me shoot free throws at the end of my sessions, and if I swished
them, the guys in the next group session had to run a victory sprint. Coach
trained me so well that after a bit, it was basically an automatic sprint for
the guys. I’m pretty sure they all hated me for it, but Coach was always
laughing his head off at the whole thing.
HTRW: This is hilarious! Coach K always finds a way to get a good laugh in and his methods are spot on! Not only were you getting shooting practice, but the guys were getting a little extra workout before training started. Ellie, Best of luck to you this year in college and please keep us updated on your progress!
