While it is not the norm for freshmen to make it onto the varsity girls’ basketball team, freshman and point guard Hope Yin is an exception to this pattern. In the past five years, only one other freshman besides Yin has made it onto the varsity team, captain Elaine Cao said.
“Regardless of age, [Yin] is just one of our best players,” Cao, a senior, said. “She’s fast. She plays good defense as well. She reminds me a lot of her older sister [Faith Yin] who was one of the best players we have ever had.”
Yin said watching her sister play three years of varsity basketball drove her to aim for varsity as a freshman. Both of her sisters played sports with her current teammates, helping her see familiar faces on the court, Yin said.
“My sister Faith was a strong leader and an amazing defender on the court, and this shapes how I play and how I want to play,” Yin said.
Yin said she has been playing basketball for seven years and enjoys it due to its competitive nature. Before high school, she played on a club team and her middle school team, Yin said.
“[The team] is still getting to know each other and building team chemistry,” Yin said. “[Being a freshman on varsity] is definitely a really cool experience. I’ve known a lot of the girls for a pretty long time because I grew up knowing them, and my sister played for varsity. They’ve all just been really nice to me so far.”
Since Yin is not only a new member of the basketball team but also the youngest, Cao said the team works extra hard to ensure she feels welcomed both on and off the court. Players on the team make a point to always drive her to practice or home because Hope cannot drive because of her age, Cao said.
One time after practice, Hope was babysitting while the rest of the team was at a team bonding, so the team picked her up after her babysitting to make sure she did not miss out on anything, Cao said.
Similarly, shooting guard Olivia Wang said the team makes an effort to spend time together to build bonds and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We’re all very supportive of [Yin]; we just treat her like any other person, uplifting [her like any of] our [other] teammates,” Wang, a junior, said. “She’s really fast and has a lot of potential. She’ll be helping us out offensively and defensively.”
At the beginning of the season, Yin said she felt nervous about joining varsity her freshman year because of the age difference and fitting in with the team. Since the team has bonded more during the season, Yin said that she feels more comfortable with everyone and anticipates a fun season.
“[Some of my] personal goals are to get to know everyone better and [to] try my hardest, keep up with everyone and do my best,” Yin said. “It has been an incredibly amazing and fun experience becoming closer to my teammates, and it is going to be a fun season on and off the court.”
