Senior Spotlight: Basketball

With their last year on the Bison Basketball team underway, we talked to the following seniors about their time on the team both on and off the court:

• Rachael Noble
• Norah Burke
• Jager Sorenson
• Brooke Gunderson
• Lauren Feddema
• Lindsay Hartman
• Macie Guida
• Zach Zrust
• James Lindquist

Q: What has the last four years meant to you?

Rachael Noble: Working together on and off the court.

Norah Burke: The last four years have meant a lot to me. I’ve grown a lot as a person and a player, and I’ve overcome a lot of mental and physical challenges. I know I’m still not a perfect player but I’m very proud of how far I’ve come as a teammate.

Jager Sorenson: It meant a lot, because I’ve always been working to get up to this varsity level. With a bunch of my friends that are on the team and we always have one goal, get to state.

Brooke Gunderson: It’s been fun playing basketball and getting a new coach. That’s helped us a lot.

Lauren Feddema: We’ve had a lot of different teams over the years. People are leaving or graduating, but I feel like we adjusted very well and made memories with what we had.

Lindsay Hartman: Building relationships with your teammates. Learning about teamwork and working together on and off the court. The importance of family outside your actual family.

Macie Guida: These past four years have been an experience I will remember for a long time. It means a lot to play with my friends.

Zach Zrust: These past four years have meant a lot to me. Being able to play for Buffalo is a great thing. Also the fact that I get to play with my friends that I’ve known my whole life is great too.

James Lindquist: I’ve made most of my friends here and made some of the best memories

Q: What work have you put in the off season that brings you to where you are now?

RN: Every Summer we would come in three days a week. Coming in and lifting together.

NB:  During the off season I always shoot around when I can, either with friends or in my backyard. If I’m working on homework I’ll throw on either an NBA or girls college basketball game and simply take it all in.

JS: We work everyday. Offseason we have a bunch of camps. We workout in the morning at 7 a.m. 

BG: We play a lot of AU with the comets and practice at home.

LF: I also play a lot of AU and shoot hoops in the gym whenever.

LH: We had summer camps almost all summer long. I played on an AAU team and I know some other girls did too, so that’s just another thing we’ve done.

MG:  In the offseason I play AAU which is essentially an extension of my season. I lift and go to camps and I really never get too much time off but I enjoy it!

ZZ: In the offseason, I’ve done summer camps and also have done practice on my own.

JL: In the summer, I get up at 6:30 am 4 days a week. Before and after school practice too.

Q: What impact have the coaches made on you?

RN: Taught that you’ll get what you work for.

NB: The new coaches this year have had more of an impact on me already in the first month than any coach has in years. They push us to be better everyday, and it’s amazing because they believe in us. Metcalf trusts and believes in us as players, and we trust and believe in her as a coach, the chemistry is simply unmatched.

JS: They are always there for us and support us.

BG: Our past coach helped make memories and impacted who we are today. 

LF: Our new coach has really pushed us to be the best we can be, and that’s helped us a lot

LH: I think this year especially with new coaches they’ve just really emphasized how important it is to put 100% effort, 100% of the time and you’ll get out what you put in. 

MG: The coaches this year have been really great by setting an example or what it looks like to work hard and succeed in and out of sports.

ZZ: The coaches have impacted me a lot. Thay have also pushed me to be my best and continue to do that. I wouldn’t be as successful as I am without them.

JL: Ortmann is one of best guys I’ve ever met and one of my favorite coaches ever.

Q: What is the difference between when you first started and now?

RN: I was very scared and not willing to use my full ability. The goal is confidence, doing what you do best.

NB: I first started playing basketball when I was four, so as you can imagine I’ve changed a lot. More recently though, throughout the years I’ve noticed a difference in my role on the team. Everyone wants to be a scorer but in reality not everyone is, and that includes me. My number one job is defense and rebounding, and once I accepted that everything started flowing for me more.

JS: I started playing whenever I could walk. We had these little hoops around our house up until now.

BG: I used to play for fun, but now it’s more competitive and for the future

LF: I guess I get better through the years.

LH: I started really young, my older sister played, so I just took after her. Confidence has grown and I have matured more.

MG: I think the difference between when I first started playing basketball is that women are getting more recognition. There are many super talented female athletes, even in our conference and I think they are finally getting talked about more.

ZZ: A difference from back then to now is my work ethic and love for the game. My work ethic has gotten me to where I am today and my love for the game has continued to push me to where I’m at now. 

JL: When I started, I didn’t like it. It was something my dad made me do, but now I love getting to play with my friends.

Q: What’s your favorite memory?

RN: Probably the road trip to Moorhead two years ago.

NB: Last year Rachael Noble hit a game winning three pointer against Edina at home.

JS: Our last home game against St. Paul Central when that one kid [Robert Brown, St. Paul Central Senior] came in and made the two three-pointers.

BG: Probably hanging out in the hotel and hot tubs and stuff

LF: Definitely the Brainerd Trip

LH: Any long bus rides just because we were always talking and laughing.

MG: My favorite basketball memory is getting up early in the Summer and working hard with all the girls that truly want to be in the gym getting better.

ZZ: My favorite basketball memory was last year. We were playing Eden Prairie at home, and it was a close game the whole time. I was playing well in this game and it became a situation for a game winner. Ortmann drew up a play for me to catch it and score, which ended up happening. I scored a game winner and finished with 27 points.

JL: This whole year has been fun because we’re winning

These seniors have made an impact on our school on and off the court. With all their hard work and determination, they’ve brought it all. As their senior year comes to an end and they go off to live their lives, we wish them the best of luck in the future, regardless of basketball!