Inside: Girls’ Basketball
EV
LUTION
of her game
Senior Leslie Schuman ’12 quickly adapted to her new role as point guard on the girls’ varsity basketball team. By David Gobel
MAZELLE ETESSAMI/CHRONICLE
12 | BIG RED Winter 2012
Co-captain of this year’s girls’ varsity basketball team Leslie Schuman ’12 doubles as the squad’s starting point guard and leading rebounder. Schuman, who stands at 5-feet 8-inches, made the transition from shooting guard to point guard this year and has given defenders trying to stop her problems all season. “I’m tall for a point guard, especially for high school, so I tend to create mismatches on offense,” Schuman said. “I normally end up guarded by either a short guard who I’m stronger than or a big forward who I’m faster than, so that helps me in terms of getting better shots.” In addition to being a matchup nightmare for opposing teams, Schuman has switched to the new role because of her prior experience playing on the team. Schuman has been on the varsity team all four years of her high school career and is one of the few players on the squad who has had any varsity experience at all. “We were stacked with seniors last year who had basically grown up with each other and in this program, so along with a sort of built-in camaraderie, everyone knew their roles well going into season,” Schuman said. After eight seniors left from last year’s team, Schuman has stepped up to take the main leadership role on the team. “The team dynamic has definitely changed,” Schuman said.
“We lost a lot of scoring from last year but more notably the mental dynamic of the team has changed. This year, I think it took some time for us to figure [that] out, so that was a transition. I wouldn’t say the transition for me into such a leading role was immediate either. I’ve played behind so many great players in my time here that I was used to following the lead of my older teammates, so taking the lead has definitely been different.” Schuman’s transformation into the point guard who drives to the basket and helps create opportunities for her team has been spurred on by varsity head coach Melissa Hearlihy. “[Hearlihy] has helped me grow up so much in the time that I’ve known her,” Schuman said. “When I first met her, I was a young shooter and I didn’t really drive very much, but she has taught me so much about the game and how to make reads. I have a higher basketball IQ because of her. She turned me into a flashier type of player, and she has helped me grow so much playing for her these past four years.” While Schuman has improved significantly during her time as a Wolverine, she said that there are still aspects of her game she would like to work on. Although she is strong at getting to the basket and rebounding, Schuman believes that her passing and dribbling can be improved for the future. Schuman will be playing basketball at Emory University next year.