By Kate Patterson
Congratulations to December Athlete of the Issue Kennedy Brown! Brown is a fourth year at Puget Sound and an asset to the Logger women’s basketball team. In a Nov. 11 game against the University of Wisconsin-Stout, she was the leading scorer for her team, totaling 31 points. Last year, Logger basketball achieved the honor of being conference champions, and Kennedy hopes for a repeat. The Trail swishes Kennedy and her team a great year; they will play George Fox University, the first Northwest Conference team of the season, on Saturday, Dec. 2.
Q: How do you prepare for games? Do you have any superstitions or lucky foods/clothing items?
A: I don’t really have any pregame routine or anything I HAVE to stick to. If I have the opportunity I will definitely nap. Usually, the day before I will try to get 300+ shots up and I always listen to the big booty remixes when I’m working out and those get me pretty hyped hahaha. If you haven’t listened to them you need to because they’re fun and I swear they get everyone in a great mood.
Q: You made 10/10 free throws at the Nov. 11 game against University of Wisconsin-Stout. How do you train for free throws, and is there a strategy for them?
A: Ever since summer I told myself I’m gonna go 100% from the FT line this season, so I think constantly telling myself that has helped. I think FT is more mental than anything. I try to shoot at least 100 FT every week, but I usually get up more. When I train… sometimes I’ll do 10 shots and then run two down-and-backs to get out of my rhythm and then shoot another 10, or I do 10 push-ups in between 10 FT to burn out my arms.
Q: What do you do outside of practice to be successful in your sport?
A: Outside of practice I try to get up to 1000 shots per week, of course, I don’t always reach that goal but I just go into each week with the intention to get up as many shots as I possibly can. We run a lot as a team but in the summer I try to run leading up to the season to make that transition easier (but running is never fun or easy!)
Q: Logger basketball achieved the title of conference champions last season. How does this affect how you frame your hopes/expectations for this season?
A: I expect us to win the conference again this year. I’ve had that expectation every season I’ve been at UPS and I truly think we have the coaches and players to win the conference title (again) and now win the conference tournament. We’ve had the goal to make it to the NCAA tournament for 2 years now and that goal has never changed so I’m very excited to see how this season goes and what conference play looks like.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from Logger basketball?
A: I can’t pick a favorite memory!! But our team retreats are SO FUN and I will forever remember every single one of them!! I love my team and I make so many great memories with them everyday so I can’t just pick one!!