Athlete Profile: Sydney Young

Senior hoping to help Gillett reach big goals

GILLETT — The Gillett High School girls basketball team is loaded with talent and primed for another deep postseason run. Senior Sydney Young hopes to play a big part in the team’s success.

Young serves as the team’s point guard, often setting up her teammates for easy buckets. She’s also is a consistent outside shooter and can rack up the points in a hurry.

Despite battling foul trouble in the team’s season-opening loss to Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Young tallied eight points, including two 3-pointers.

The Gillett senior plans to continue her basketball career at Ripon College next year.

“Positive, hard-working kid who has played four years of varsity basketball,” Gillett coach Justin Daul said of Young. “Terrific sense of the game, which is why I think she was recruited to Ripon. The thing you’re most proud about as a coach is, she’s a terrific student, which is leaving an example in our program on how to be on the court and in the classroom. I’m super proud of her accomplishments and am excited to see where her road of success in life leads to.”

Q: When did your interest in basketball begin?

A: My interest in basketball started when I was in elementary school, and I would watch my older cousins (Whitney Henkel, Chelsea Henkel, Melissa Meunier and Danielle Kuhn) play. From there, it was doing the Saturday basketball camps in the winter with the varsity girls and head coaches.

Q: What is your favorite part about the basketball season?

A: Playoff time is my favorite because the intensity goes up and everyone is dialed in on the same goal. The past two years we have gone deep into the playoffs, but the goal is one game at a time.

Q: How did you prepare for the basketball season?

A: Going to the open gyms and shooting in the offseason. For me, the biggest part of preparing is thinking of new goals for the team and myself.

Q: Your team has everyone back from last year and added some more talent to the roster, meaning expectations are high. As a senior, how do you help your team deal with those lofty expectations and stay motivated to keep getting better?

A: Staying focused at practice and not worrying about playoffs right away, but focusing on one game at a time. I would say building each individual player up when they do something good, but also to tell them to shake it off and keep trying when something doesn’t go their way. If each player gives it their all, then the team together with be even stronger.

Q: As the season continues on, what does the team need to continue to work on to be in the best position possible to put together a deep postseason run?

A: Coming together and playing as one team and focusing on the details. We can accomplish bigger things together than we can individually.

Q: What’s your favorite memory of competing on the Gillett girls basketball team?

A: Sectional finals when the team came running out for warmups at Appleton East against Wausau Newman (in 2018) and the stands were packed with our fans and supporters. I truly felt touched knowing all the people that rallied behind us.

Q: What are you going to miss most about high school basketball?

A: I’m going to miss running out on to the court for warmups and seeing the fans that always support the team. Most of all, I am going to miss my teammates and coaches because they truly have been my second family these past four years.

Q: Favorite TV shows, movies, and musical artists?

A: TV shows — “Kickin’ It” and “Friends.” Movies — “IT Chapter Two” or anything scary! Musical artists — Luke Combs, Brett Eldredge and Chris Young.

Q: Name one thing about yourself that not many people know.

A: I have three pet goats named Dottie, May and Elle.

Q: What’s the greatest piece of advice you have ever been told?

A: I always appreciated my friends and family coming to the games and supporting me and all that my coaches do for me, but for me to reach my goals and do my best, I have to play for myself and the love of the game.

Q: What are some things you hope to accomplish after graduating from high school?

A: I am planning on attending Ripon College and earning a degree in finance and graduating in four years. I have also committed to play basketball at Ripon, and my goal is to use what my teammates and coaches have taught me to have a successful basketball career as a Lady Red Hawk.

AT A GLANCE

Athlete: Sydney Young

Sport: Girls Basketball

Position: Point guard

School: Gillett High School

Year: Senior