Hattie Childs ’19, co-captain of the Varsity Basketball team, plays center and has been a force both on and off the court throughout her time on the team. Harper Rosati ‘19 said, “Her smile brightens all of our days, and she always comes into practice ready to leave her all on the court. If any of us are frustrated or upset, she will be there to comfort us. On the court, she helps us all become better players by suggesting new moves or helping us with our form.”

What is your background in basketball?

Starting in about third grade…I played basketball in a recreational league with both guys and girls. I played with them for as long as I could, until seventh or eighth grade. Then I made Varsity at my middle school, which was a huge deal because everyone was super-competitive. That was when I decided that I wanted to become serious about basketball. After seventh grade, I joined a travel team, then came to Hotchkiss, where I made it my main focus.

What has been your favorite moment on the court?

Last year, we were down by six points against Kingswood Oxford, and we made a comeback. I remember I had an assist, and then I had two free throws to tie [the game], and then someone else hit a layup. When we won, it was the best moment ever. It felt so good to win in front of a home crowd and to come back from being down.

How has the team evolved since you joined?

My [Lower Mid] year, we had a lot more people who were just athletes who played basketball as opposed to basketball players who were athletic. One of the main problems my Lower Mid year was that no one was confident. Last year and this year, we’ve really emphasized being confident with the ball, trusting your teammates, and knowing that if you work hard, that’s all you can do. There was a switch in mentality where people just started to care more and put their hearts into it.

What were your expectations, for the team and yourself, going into this season?

We wanted to be better than last season, and while our record doesn’t really reflect that, we grew so much as a team and there’s so much young talent on the team that’s going to flourish when Harper [Rosati ’19], Sydnie [Miller ’19], and I graduate. We stepped up our defensive game so much this year, and that’s made the difference in so many games. We’re hot on offense, and that’s a change we’ve never really seen before this year.

With your final season on the team coming to a close, what lessons have you learned that will stick with you?

It’s really easy to shut down when you’re losing, and it’s really easy to just drop your head, but when you do that, you’ve already let the other team win. More than just being skilled, you have to have heart for the sport that you play. I’ve learned that I have to be confident, because my Lower Mid and Upper Mid year I didn’t really know what I was doing. But this year I learned that you really have to trust yourself and your teammates. You have to know that you can do something, because if you psych yourself out, then you’re just not going to play well. And of course, you have to have fun.