Athlete of the Week – Juliet Wachsmuth

This Q + A with AD Lyslo is with varsity basketball player and PC senior Juliet Wachsmuth.

Juliet, first off, congrats on being named Jersey Mike’s Athlete of the Week. You have won this award before, so congratulations [on the repeat]. You and your team are playing some fun basketball right now. The pace is good, your game is at an all-time high-how much are you enjoying this group and the season so far?

Thank you so much! I am so proud of my team and how we are all playing as a unit, and it’s been so fun to be a part of. I attribute most of our success to our fast-paced game plan. We have a built-in fast break play to beat other teams at the other end and score lay-ups, and we full-court press teams as well. I think it has helped us both stay warmed up and in the rhythm as well as kept other teams on their toes. My game, my teammates’ game, they all flow from getting the steal and pushing it up the floor, and we have been doing a really incredible job executing this.

Coming into the season, you knew teams would focus on you defensively. How did you prepare yourself for this, and what did you work on in the offseason to combat that?

Going into the season, I honestly wasn’t expecting the same amount of pressure teams are putting on me now. The defensive pressure started in the Neah-Kah-Nie game, which was a handful of games into our preseason, and ever since, most teams have been doing the same. It’s definitely been a challenge to set aside my idealistic expectations for how I play and instead have a more holistic perspective of doing what’s in the best interest of my team for collective success.

You guys are off to a great start in league play with some big wins early here. What has changed from last year, and what’s it going to take to keep this momentum going?

Yes, we are off to a great start and are currently sitting in the 4th spot in our league! We’ve won the games we were supposed to win, put up a great fight against the three best teams, and are keeping the momentum going. We are a much better team than we were last year. We have different personnel and have had a different approach to the game because of it. We are much faster, and our coaches have definitely done a great job utilizing our speed (not our tallness!) through our fast break and full-court defensive pressure.

Postseason basketball is always a goal for teams and players. Have you guys talked about the postseason at all? Is it something you set up as a goal for the team this year?

We’ve definitely talked about this. We are hungry for postseason play, and will continue to execute and do all that it takes to beat the teams we have previously won against again to clinch 4th or 5th place and go to Vernonia for playoffs!

As you start to see teams for a second time, adjustments are always made. What do you expect from the rest of the league, and what’s it going to take to get some big wins here late in the season?

Playing against the teams for the second time will be far more challenging since they have seen us play and have learned what does and doesn’t work for them against us. I’m expecting some more full-court pressure on us to take away the fast-break lay-up opportunity and/or more defense on us point guards (Olivia [Felton] and me). Our plan is to continue to get better at handling presses, not get frantic from pressure, and really execute plays to combat other teams’ likely adjustments.

You’re a senior now and you’ve had some incredible success as a team and individually these last four years. Is it surreal to think how fast it’s gone for you, and what is the ultimate goal for this group by season’s end?

It’s so surreal, and I am still in disbelief that my basketball career is almost over! High school basketball is ending in a month, and that fact has not hit me yet, but it will… 🙁 In the meantime, our ultimate goal is definitely playoffs, and we would love to at least beat the 3rd place team!