VINTON, Iowa (KCRG) - Many younger athletes are finding inspiration in the Iowa Women’s Basketball team. Not only do they say they look to this team to improve their skill, but also to improve the relationships they have with their fellow teammates.
“I like the teamwork and I really like scoring,” said Vinton-Shellsburg 8th Grader Rylee Boggess. She likes the same things most middle school basketball players like about playing the sport. But recently, she’s also acknowledged the importance of setting an example once on the court.
“I’ve just learned to like be the change like how she’s just helped women’s sports in general,” said Boggess.
She says that’s thanks to Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Iowa Women’s Basketball team. Many younger female athletes share in that sentiment.
“They’re just like nice to each other and you can notice that they always congratulate each other and they’re always super excited when someone breaks or record,” said Vinton-Shellsburg 7th Grader Ava Schirm.
Others have made note of both Clark’s skills and team work to take into the next several years of their sport.
“How to get around people, like moves that you could do and like communicating to your teammates and not being mean to them. Sometimes it might come off mean, observing them, but you can be like, ‘You should do this instead of this,” said Solon 8th Grader Quinn Armentrout.
“Being a basketball player isn’t just about playing really well, it’s about being able to connect with your teammates and being able to have a good relationship with your teammates so you can be the best of your ability,” said Solon 8th grader Livya Nelson.
And even coaches are using what this team has accomplished to inspire their players.
“It’s great to watch teams like Iowa, how unselfish they are, what a team they are, how close they are. They’re a family so it kind of shows us if we want to be at that next level, what we have to do,” said Vinton-Shellsburg Head Girl’s Basketball Coach Rich Haisman.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.