LADY PIONEERS BASKETBALL IN THEIR OWN WORDS: PART 3 – MIA HOBBS

**Mia Hobbs can play a lot of positions for the Lady Pioneers, and her willingness to play different positions is a testament of her devotion to her team.**

Junior Mia Hobbs is the quintessential team player. Opposing coaches have stated that she is a good outside shooter, yet this past season, she moved more inside to help her team. One thing that has stood out about Mia Hobbs is that she rarely makes mistakes. She also does a lot of work on the court that doesn’t make the highlight reels, but her contribution makes a major difference in the game. Hobbs is excellent at disrupting opposing teams defensively.

The Lady Pioneers are difficult to contain with a full court press, and Mia can easily switch to her natural guard position to help get the ball down court. In every game this past season, Hobbs was reliable at the free throw line. Her consistency made a difference. Hobbs is mature beyond her years on the court. She has a very high emotional intelligence. Similar to many competitive athletes, she never lets anyone know if she is frustrated or disappointed. She is a player who provides the glue that holds a team together.

BD Newsletter: How would you compare this season to last season for you personally?

Mia Hobbs: This season, personally, my role changed drastically. I had to play the “four” most of the time this season, which meant I had to work on my rebounding skills and attacking the basket more.

**Hobbs was all over the court this past season, and she played against taller players often in the paint.**

BD Newsletter: How was this year’s team different than last year’s team?
Mia Hobbs: This team was different from last year’s team because our starting five and some of our bench all had experience from prior years. When we were put in close end-game situations, our team knew the most effective decisions to make, and I just don’t believe our players got that experience in years past.

BD Newsletter: Did you have any injuries or sickness this season? If you did, on a scale of 1-10, 1 being virtually no pain and 10 being maximum discomfort, how much of a discomfort were injuries?
Mia Hobbs: Throughout the season, I thankfully never experienced any injuries.

**Mia Hobbs was composed on and off the court, often giving support and encouragement to her teammates.**

BD Newsletter: How did you feel when the season ended?
Mia Hobbs: When the season ended, I was disappointed because I felt like we didn’t end on the right note. Obviously, we didn’t play our best game against Bradley Central, but I was still proud of our team as a whole and what we accomplished during the season.

BD Newsletter: What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses on next year’s team?
Mia Hobbs: A few strengths of next year’s team will be: returning 4 of our 5 starters, defense, rebounding, and speed. A weakness is our lack of height.

BD Newsletter: What will you work on during the offseason?
Mia Hobbs: During the offseason, I plan on playing AAU and working on my all-around game; however, I would like to specifically work on my offensive skills: shooting, ball-handling, and attacking the rim effectively.

**Hobbs was often driving to the hoop in her new role as a “four.”**

BD Newsletter: How do you think high school basketball affects you personally, the team, the school and the town?byi JV
Mia Hobbs: High school basketball affects me personally by creating unforgettable memories and bonds that I will cherish forever. It affects our team by giving us something to do, and we all look forward to being around each other almost every day. One of the best feelings is a packed gym, knowing your school and community are there to support you through it all. Over the past few years, I don’t think girls’ high school basketball affected our school or community. However, over the past two years, we have worked hard as a program to gain respect from our school and community.