Brittany Daniels
February 3, 2010
Filed under Featured Athlete
Le Jardin Academy is fortunate to have Brittany Daniels on the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team. One of five seniors, she displays great leadership skills when she is playing the point guard or wing position which are her two favorite positions. Her aggressive, eager, and hyper personality makes her a strong leader. “I try to lead by setting a good example for my team,” says Daniels. Because she has been dedicated since the sixth grade, she has transformed into a useful player for the team.
Her dedication is due in part to the coaches, but also because of her enthusiasm for sports. Brittany mentioned that she “always taken an interest ever since middle school and I like the physical contact and the aggressiveness that comes with it.” Brittany loves the competitiveness of the game, and also the fun that comes with it. Although she loves the sport, she has to balance other demanding obligations.
On top of all the homework, her social life, her job, and practice, she seems to have a pretty good balance. “It’s hard,” she says, “I try to get more basketball time in and request off on game days. I feel bad when I have to miss practice.” Although she doesn’t have as much practice time as others on the team this doesn’t show in the games. Brittany is an extremely controlled, but aggressive player while on defense. But, she will admit that her shooting needs to be more accurate, and, she says “I need to dribble the ball with more confidence.” The coaches of the Varsity team, Will Barron, Gary Tanouye, and Dave Lindsay are dedicated to the team. Their unwavering confidence in the girls helps to give them the extra boost to not give up when the game is on the line. “Coaches, Gary, Dave, and Will helped me stay motivated and give me advice on how to be a better defender and how to straighten out my shot.” One coach would be great, but the team has been blessed with three. This is an enormous help because each person can get individual help for perfecting their techniques.
Brittany has been a great addition to the basketball program over the years. She has decided not to pursue basketball on the collegiate level, but says “I will probably do it for fun outside of school.” The end of the school year quickly approaches, and although five seniors will be graduating, and leaving in search of new adventures, the underclassmen will proudly fill their shoes. “I’m going to miss playing basketball and I want to thank everyone who helped me improve along the way, ” says Brittany. Le Jardin will miss the senior girls dearly.