Senior Aloera Ostermann

• Girls basketball team’s beat spirit booster

How long have you been playing basketball?

“I have been playing basketball since as long as I can remember, I’ve been on like an organized team, probably since first grade. We’ve just always done stuff because both my parents are associated with a lot of basketball.”

Who is your basketball role model and why?

“I don’t know that I really have one role model but just like the people around me, just like whoever I’m around at that time. There’s definitely been people who have impacted me, but overall it’s just like the examples I get set from the people that I’m around directly, but coaching-wise my role model is definitely my dad because he works with a lot of college athletes and so just like being able to look up to him and have him know what’s going on and [for him to] be able to help me improve my game … really means a lot.”

What goals do you have for this season?

“For this season, my goal is just to improve, like it is every season. You can reach so far with your goals but the main thing for me is just to like get better from the beginning to the end, and to really just make sure that we play more together as a team and that we become more than a team. And so, obviously, it’d be fun to win State and win tournaments and things like that. But in the end, if you’re playing hard and having fun, then the outcome is going to be what it is.”

How do you plan on going about achieving those goals?

“Definitely just coming in and working hard every day, and even just doing more off the court to just strengthen our team bond and just focus on getting everyone closer together because championships are won on the bus and outside of practice and so just really focusing on getting to know each other better and building that chemistry off the court, because it definitely carries over.”

What is your favorite aspect of basketball?

“My favorite part of basketball is just like the release that it gives me, because it’s a place where I don’t have to worry about anything else so when you step on the court, anything that’s happening outside of your life, it just all goes away and you can focus on doing the simple things and just doing one thing that I’ve known how to do practically my whole life.”

What is your favorite memory of basketball?

“One of my favorite memories has definitely just become the summer basketball that I play, especially this past summer was probably my favorite. My mom and I spend a lot of time doing trips together and so we travel down to Texas, up to Kentucky. All these different places and so being able to spend time in the car with her but also play at all these different locations. And we also get to bring Gaby Martinez with us so she rode with us, a lot of the time so those road trips are always really fun.”

Do you plan on playing basketball in college?

“I do, I plan on- well I have a couple of colleges looking at me right now I haven’t made any decisions yet, but I definitely want to go on and continue playing.”

Have you received any basketball scholarship offers?

“Colby Community College [and] Cloud County Community College would both be two years and then I would go on and play somewhere else, either at a higher level division or just at a four year at the same level. And then the other two options that are both four years is BethEl College and Tabor College.”

What legacy do you hope to leave behind in basketball from your high school career?

“I just hope that if people learn anything from my time at MHS, it’s just like that leadership is important and it’s important to bring everybody together, and you’re gonna have adversity on different teams but facing it together is what’s going to get you to your end result and to the goal that you want to achieve.”