Player's Perspective: Season Preview

I asked athletes across the state of Washington questions regarding their AAU seasons during the summer, how they have improved on the court, and who are some teammates to watch. Here are the first couple players!    How do you think your team and yourself performed throughout summer league during the month of June?   With my highschool team We only got to play in two tournaments in June , I feel like this was a transition time . We got a new coach who we are really excited about but do to sickness we had some struggles but we finished strong I feel like me personally I was able to step up and be a leader and play strong   What was the biggest obstacle you and your team faced last season? How will you overcome that next season?   I think we struggled with consistency and at times lack of chemistry . I think this will be a fresh season I im confident our new coach Talia Walton will bring more discipline and help us build good chemistry. I feel like with her energy it will be great for our team going into this next season   What do you think you improved most on the court since the season ended?   I have been working hard on ball handling Being more consistent with shots and being a leader I know last year I was the only freshman and I wasn't comfortable taking on that role but my teammates trust me and I have to work on that this season   What are some expectations you have next season for yourself and your team?   I expect us to spend more time in the gym together and build the chemistry with out new coach I know she's gonna get us really conditioned I expect myself to again be more of a leader and communication for me will be important . I think this will be a exciting year for my team   Who are some teammates that you think stood out this summer/AAU season? Who are some teammates who could have breakout years next year in your eyes?   Makayla Johnson was really solid she's quick, can get boards and can easily make quick buckets in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id='751217' first='Kate' last='Reinkensmeyer'] is a quick guard and she sees the Court really well. Kessa Kohr can shoot lights out 3s and of coirse my fellow Seattle prep teammate [player_tooltip player_id='660342' first='Grace' last='Renners'] will have another great season!     How do you think your team and yourself performed throughout summer league during the month of June?   Our team did really well this summer. We played against some great competition and grew a lot. Our leading scorer graduated last year so getting to know all our new roles was good for us.   What was the biggest obstacle you and your team faced last season? How will you overcome that next season?   Our biggest obstacle last season in my opinion was our youth. We suited up 4 freshman throughout the season. We learned a lot along the way though. Those reps will really help us this year.   What do you think you improved most on the court since the season ended?   I think me getting to the basket with contact is where I have been improving the most. I've always been able to shoot a little bit, so I have been working on attacking the rack.   What are some expectations you have next season for yourself and your team?   Expectations for myself is to be more aggressive on both ends of the court. Always in attack mode for my team. Constantly putting pressure on the other team wether it be offense or defense. I also want to work on the boards and just being a good teammate.   Who are some teammates that you think stood out this summer/AAU season? Who are some teammates who could have breakout years next year in your eyes?   We fully anticipate to gain on our 3rd place finish at state this season. We have 3 of the 5 starters coming back. So we are pretty excited about that   [player_tooltip player_id='827947' first='Cheyenne' last='Hull'] had a great summer season with the Blazers. Breakout player bc will be [player_tooltip player_id='1051341' first='Paige' last='Gasseling']. She is 6ft and has been improving so much this summer. She will play a really big role for us this year.       How do you think your team and yourself performed throughout summer league during the month of June? I think we performed well, we have some new transfers and lost 3 seniors last year who were all starters so it was more about gelling and understanding each others games throughout june ball and we definitely did that!   What was the biggest obstacle you and your team faced last season? How will you overcome that next season? We had trouble with team chemistry last year, and we weren't gelling like we should've. it was tough because it lost us some games. this year as i said, we are focusing on we>me. because we can only win together. we will overcome this by being able to trust each other and understand we need each other to win and make our goals. What do you think you improved most on the court since the season ended? This year during aau i played with cal stars 17u, a main focus on that team that gives you more opportunities is defense and being able to contain a player. so that is definitely a main focus of mine coming into this next season because i want to be an all around player and productive on both ends of the floor to help my team win. What are some expectations you have next season for yourself and your team? Expectations for myself is to be as productive as i can for my team and do whatever it takes to win, and for the team it is to make it to the dome! Who are some teammates that you think stood out this summer/AAU season? Who are some teammates who could have breakout years next year in your eyes? My teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1051361' first='Myla' last='Larry'], she's going into her sophomore year but improved so much over the summer. she's a different player with a better mindset and mental toughness. she will play a huge role for us this year in helping our team make the dome.     How do you think your team and yourself performed throughout summer league during the month of June?   The thing I'm most excited about for my team and me is the opportunity to work and train every chance possible with our new Seattle Prep coach, Talia Walton @thetaliawalton (on X) Coach Walton is a great teacher, motivator and AWESOME coach and person! She played in the WNBA and at the University of Washington and I'm so grateful and excited to work with her and train with her as often as possible before the start of our season. I think our team and I performed well in June and got a lot better together, but we still have a lot of work to do and things to improve on. We finished 3-1 at Section 7 in Arizona and didn't defend our title from last year when we went 4-0 so we are even more motivated to get better every day and carry a championship mentality into our season.   What was the biggest obstacle you and your team faced last season? How will you overcome that next season?   The biggest obstacle/challenge our team faced last season was breaking the press against really good teams. We will overcome this by making better decisions, getting better and stronger with the basketball in our hands, and we will play faster and smarter and get easy buckets and make teams pay if and when they press us.   What do you think you improved most on the court since the season ended?   The thing I improved the most is in blocking shots, playing perimeter defense, getting stops defensively and that's something I really LOVE to do. I love to change the momentum of a game with blocked shots, diving on the floor, steals, deflections, and hustle plays that gets out team fired up to compete and win! I also think I've really improved in my ability to score on all 3 levels very effectively and create my own shot when we need a big bucket. My 3-point shooting consistency and percentage has also improved a lot and I was honored to represent our West All-Star team in the 3-Point Contest in the 3A/4A Washington All-Star Game this summer in Spokane, WA.   What are some expectations you have next season for yourself and your team?   Some expectations for our team this season are to win the Metro League Championship and Washington State title! My personal expectations on every team and in any sport that I've ever played, my goals are ALWAYS the same. 1) Be the hardest worker on the team! 2) Be the best teammate I can be and make all of my teammates better! 3) Bring the most positive energy and positive influence of any player on the court and in the locker room!   Who are some teammates that you think stood out this summer/AAU season? Who are some teammates who could have breakout years next year in your eyes?   Some of my teammates who will have tremendous seasons this upcoming year: [player_tooltip player_id='688514' first='Kylin' last='Kinchen'] (@kylin_kinchen on X) will be a sophomore but plays like she is already in college. Kylin is a lockdown defender with a nonstop motor, super intense player who can also create very well offensively and knock down 3's. [player_tooltip player_id='660344' first='Elsa' last='Castro'] can do it all: defend, create, make great passes, and take charges, which really energizes our team. Amanda Christian is a very strong presence and a tremendous rebounder and defender who can also convert offensively. Gianna Shaw is a great teammate and can create offensively, make 3's and get key buckets for us. EJ Ovena is a solid 3 point shooter, good passer, gets steals and a great teammate. Blakely Grove is a super positive high-energy player who plays intense defense and always gets steals and can make the 3. Caitlin Lee is a good defender and positive energy player who will help us. [player_tooltip player_id='751201' first='Addy' last='Jack'] is a really good young player with a nice step back 3. We also have a lot of other good players and awesome teammates who will contribute many valuable things to our team including solid basketball, super positive energy, and a can-do spirit to get better every day and every game. With our new coach Talia Walton, our Seattle Prep team will be gritty, relentless and skilled. I will always do my best to lead our team to absolutely get after it on defense and play aggressive and unselfish basketball. We will play fast but under control which leads to a lot of easy buckets and open 3's, and we have a lot of players on this team who can convert on offense and love to get after it on defense!

I asked athletes across the state of Washington questions regarding their AAU seasons during the summer, how they have improved on the court, and who are some teammates to watch. Here are the first couple players!