It’s January 18, 2024 and the girls varsity basketball team is losing a close game against Dominion High School. Junior Zoe Ward steps up with all the pressure to win the game and scores three shots in a row.
Her coach calls a timeout as they are now tied with Dominion. Once the timeout is over, Ward runs a play that scores. County ends up winning the game with a score of 50-46.
Ward has been playing basketball for 12 years, training since the very beginning.
“I started because my dad wanted me to be a multi athlete and play something in the winter while I waited for soccer season,” Ward said. “Ironically, I don’t play soccer anymore,”
Ward played soccer up until her freshman year of high school. She is fully committed to basketball now.
“I like how fast the pace of the game is compared to other sports,”Ward said. “ I love the friendships I have made and the different teams I play with and against.”
Ward quit soccer not just because she wanted to focus on basketball but also as her greatest challenge was in the way. Ward dislocated her knee three times and had to get knee surgery. Doing soccer and basketball would have been too much on her knee so she had to make a choice between the two.
“My knee couldn’t handle all the stress I was putting on my body in between all the training I did so I had to quit something,” Ward said.
Although Ward has proven herself as a basketball player as she is one of the top scorers on the team, she still struggles with the repercussions of her injury.
“I think my mentality is a lot worse because I know I can be better and more aggressive for rebounds,” Ward said. “ I’m just scared of getting hurt and being out for months again. I’m constantly overthinking that I’m never going to be the player I was, I should pass the ball up because I’m going to be short on a shot, or I’m not going to be able to shift quick enough on defense and my teammates or gonna be mad.”
Ward’s knee injury had affected more than just how she plays but also her mentality but Ward has learned to work on her mentality.
“I have already gotten better at focusing on the next play, if I make a mistake and I continue to work on it,” Ward said.
This new mentality Ward has started to develop has really helped her become a better player.
Ward has to make sure to maintain a good headspace as basketball has about two to three games a week with practices in between.
Ward trains every Wednesday and Sunday morning. She typically does some open gyms that other teams have and plays with her friends at different courts.
“Last summer I did strength training and shooting clinics, which I plan to do again,” Ward said. “ I typically focus on shooting, dribbling, moving around the basketball, strengthening myself and my knee, and working on my mentality after missed shots or bad games.”
Ward spends most of her free time in the gym on the weekends and after school, focusing on basketball.
“I would definitely say I am more of an athlete than a student,” Ward said. “I have many late nights studying for tests and doing my homework. I have been to school early and stayed later for extra help on topics.”
Ward has to maintain a balance between school work and basketball, which is tough considering she has practice or a game almost everyday. On top of that, she also has to maintain friendships with her busy schedule.
“I think maintaining friendships can be stressful at times because I’m never free, but I find time on weekends and days I don’t have practice to hang out with my friends,” Ward said.
Ward doesn’t necessarily have a diet but tries not to eat a bunch of sweets and carbs.
“I think for the most part I stick to things on game days that won’t sit in my gut while I’m running, like dairy products and fried food,” Ward said. “Game days, I typically skip breakfast and have something light for lunch. If I know I have a lot of games coming up, I’ll try to drink a bunch of water the days leading up.”
Before games, Ward says she will “typically just listen to music and either watch some film on the team or read scouting reports.”
This season, Ward has some personal goals she wants to try and accomplish, like gaining back trust in her knee after her injury and always pushing to improve and be better.
“My goals as a teammate and for the team are to have a winning record, and be the best I can be for my team,” Ward said.
Over the years, Ward’s plethora of accomplishments has allowed her to gain confidence in her abilities. Ward has won numerous basketball tournaments and has been invited to summer showcases for many schools. As just a freshman, Ward made varsity for the basketball team.
Ward believes basketball as a career would be something she’s interested in.
“Playing basketball as a full-time career would be the greatest thing in the entire world,” Ward said. She intends to play for as long as she can, stating that if she can’t play for a team, she will “play for fun.”
As she continues her career, Ward credits her coaches for giving her the advice that pushed her to determination and success.
“My soccer coach helped me figure out that basketball is what I wanted to do,” Ward said. “She told me that no matter what I did, to put everything I had into it.”
