NATALIE BASTIAN- SACRED HEART ACADEMY

Tell everyone about yourself?
My name is Natalie Bastian. I'm 5'7 1/2 and a sophomore at Sacred Heart Academy. I play for the AAU team, Team Connecticut. I play the guard positions(point, shooting, 1,2,3) but I get in there for every rebound, as well as being able to drive hard to the lane and shoot. I have been playing basketball ever since I was about 10 and it is my absolute life. I live to play basketball. I am out there everyday trying to improve myself and my game because one day I want to go to the WNBA....its my absolute dream.=]

What was your best game?
I believe I have 2 best games so far because I still have a long way to go. Every game can become your best game if you put your heart and soul out on the court and leave it all on the floor, are determined, and have no fear. The first was last year in AAU when I had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and I believe 4 steals. I just let myself go in this game and it really showed. I helped lead my team to an excellent win against a very good team.=] The second one was when my school team was down 2 points this year, with 5 seconds to go. My teammate took the shot but it got tipped and went flying in the air, and somehow...I grabbed the ball, went up strong, made the basket, and got fouled with no time left on the clock. I then made the one foul shot with all my teammates on the sidelines, and got us one step closer to states!=]

Why are sports/education important to you?
Sports and education are especially important to me because I believe that in sports you can express yourself and show everyone what you can do. You can't have sports without the grades, so grades are very important. I have a 3.95 GPA for this semester and look to keep that up as high as I can while improving myself in my game and in my books. Grades are what allow you to play sports and education is needed in everyday life. So stay in school and work your hardest on and off the court. Basketball - My Anti-drug

What can you do to make yourself better in your sport?
I will do whatever it takes to keep getting better and better in basketball. I work everyday, as hard and as long as I possibly can. In order to make yourself better, you cant just go through the motions, you have to do everything with a purpose and play hard every second...no breaks. It's a commitment to get better, not a promise.

What is your dream college?
My dream college is the University of Connecticut because they have amazing academics as well as the best basketball team in the country. Geno is the best coach anyone could ever have and it would be an absolute honor to be coached by him. I also would love to go to either Syracuse University or North Carolina.

If a College Coach ask you, how can you make our team better, what would you say?
I would say that I am willing to do anything to bring your team to the top. I will inspire not only myself but my teammates around me to be the best that they can be and to keep improving. I will provide competition to keep myself and my teammates on top of their game and to never slack. I will demonstrate my leadership and hard working qualities to better not only myself but my teammates as well. I respect my coach as well as my teammates and will do whatever it takes to become the best that I can be.

What advice can you give other student-athletes?
The advice that I can give to other student-athletes is to keep your head up and to keep going forward. The farther you dream the farther you get, so never stop dreaming because impossible is nothing. Keep your grades up because without your school and education you won't be going anywhere. So keep working hard in the books and on the court. =]

Send a shout out to SoSportz:
THANK YOU SoSPORTZ for giving me the opportunity to do this interview! SoSPORTZZZZ ROCKS!!!!=]

KAHLIL DUKES- CAPITAL PREP

Tell everyone about yourself?
I am Kahlil Dukes, I am a fourteen year old freshman at Capital Prep in Hartford, Connecticut. I strive to be the best basketball player I can be and I take pride in putting work in the gym, classroom, and hopefully seeing it pay off when grades come out and when its time to perform on the basketball court. I been playing basketball since I was born and I made my first basket at the age of three. I play AAU for the Connecticut Basketball Club (CBC) and of course my high school, Capital Prep.
I lead the state in scoring this year (29.1ppg) and all freshman in the nation. I got first team All State honors recently and I got first team all conference. So hopefully, I get a state championship next year. My plan is to make it to the NBA and then its a new beginning. Then hopefully I have Hall of Fame dreams and more.

What was your best game?
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My best game for me this year was probably against Windham Tech in Willimantic, Connecticut. I finish the game with 34 points and 12 assists, and a few steals I remember. It was a team effort though because my teammates finished the best all season that night, and two other players had over 20 points. We won 112-104 I think and that was our last season game before the playoffs.

How does it feel to be All-State as a freshman?
All State as a freshman feels real good. All year I had doubters and criticism that I had to manage and play through. I also had a lot of expectations for myself that I set to reach, and other people had expectations for me as well. Somehow I found it in myself to lead our team to the state tournament quarter finals as a freshman and lead the state in scoring. I finish the season w/ 669 points (29.1ppg) and I average 3 assists a game. I faced a lot of box and ones and different defenses all season, in the quarter finals I actually faced a 1-1-3 which I never seen or heard of. But really I just wanted to learn as much as I could, play every game like it was my last because I wanted to be remembered, and now, I can call myself an All Stater.

Why are sports/education important to you?
Education and sports are important to me because they both help me eventually become a professional at what I am blessed at, and that's basketball. Without education, you cannot make it to college. Without college you cannot make the money you need to live a dream. And without money, you cant live at all. Money rules the world, so I try to stay up on my grades and stay in the gym working on my game to get that big time scholarship I am after. Right now my GPA is 3.5 so I'm trying to maintain that or keep it somewhere around there so that I am not nervous when it comes to SATs. And as far as basketball, all I got to do is keep the mentality I have and everything hopefully will go the way I planned. I also pray a lot for those two things to be successful so I guess that's why I'm doing so well so far in my high school career. Just got to keep it going, never sleep, consistency was my favorite word my whole freshman year and it always will be.



What can you do to make yourself a better point guard?
Well to make myself a better point guard I could do a list of things:
1) I could surround myself by a group of guys who are great point guards or great models as point guards to look up to.
2) I could work HARDER on the fundamentals that are to be mastered by a point guard and focus on those for a few months to a year.
3) I could learn from a premier point guard coach. Like a Calipari (Kentucky Head Coach) or a Coach K (Duke). I also believe more in myself, potentially speaking. So I think the work I can push myself to put in will also better the outcome of becoming a better point guard. And simply learning from mistakes I make on the basketball court, and being a vocal leader.

What is your dream college?
I don't necessarily have a dream college but I am considering Duke, UNC, UConn, and Syracuse for big time. For little school but big conference I'd like to go to Baylor, Marquette, Florida, Butler or UCLA. For me its about the coach, basketball history or tradition of the school, and if I'm gonna be able to come into the system and play early. Other then that, I still need to do a little more research on schools and stuff like majoring. I think I wanna major in marketing, right now I'm considering that. But I still have a lot of time so we'll see.

What advice can you give other student-athletes?
Well for other student athletes, I can only say do what you gotta do and take pride in what you do. I think a lot of players get too big headed, too cocky, too satisfied, and too irresponsible. Sometimes I am even some of those but I try not to be and I have a lot of friends, family, and coaches that help me with being humble and things like that. As an athlete you have to understand that there two things, obstacles and competition.
Obstacles are the bad part, competition is the good part. Playing against someone who is trying to make it to the same place as you is great. There's no reason to be scared or worried that they might show you off. Its a game, somebody wins and somebody loses. You have to have a certain mentality, swagger, and personality about yourself. Go hard in every practice, game, and be smart in the classroom and on the court. Knowledge does anybody well no matter what sport you play or what you do. Try to learn from mistakes. Try to be the best player, student, and person you can be. It is a privilege to play sports, just enjoy yourself and have fun. Meet new people but be careful. Some people you can't trust. If your really talented, some people will try and trick you. Its a dirty game, and its a business. You just got to be smart with everything you do, say, wear, and who you hang around. When its time to perform on the court, field, gridiron, or whatever, then put on a show. When your doing work and you don't feel like it, just remember your trying to make it. Get it done, and do what you gotta do, and you will be successful as a student athlete no matter what sport you play.

Send a shout out to SoSportz:
Shoutout to SoSportz for supporting me all season during my freshman year. Definitely a good program and nice to meet new kids and athletes with the same dreams as us all and be one nation trying to make it to the next level playing sports for a living. Thanks.

SARAH SHIELDS- HAMDEN HIGH SCHOOL

Tell us about yourself?
My name is Sarah. I am a sophomore at Hamden High School. I am 5'10 and I play just about every position, but my favorite is shooting guard. Basketball is my favorite thing to do.

What was your best game?
I have two games that stick out, one game I hit seven three-pointers and the other game I hit two three-pointers in the final minute to push my team into overtime.

Why are sports/education important to you?
I love being physically active, I love being part of the team, and in order to be successful in life, the lessons you learn on the court are important but not nearly as important as what you learn in school.

What can you do to make yourself better in your sport?
Keep working on the fundamentals, keep your confidence level high, and always be aggressive.

What is your dream college?
Small to mid-sized school in New England or close to it.

If a College Coach ask you, how can you make our team better, what would you say?
No one world out work me and no one would be more coachable.

What advice can you give other student-athletes?
Keep your grades up, play the sport that you love, and always play like its your last game.

Send a shout out to SoSportz:
SEE YAA, WE OUT!