Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Brooke Carlson, Batavia, basketball, sophomore

Name: Brooke Carlson

School: Batavia

Sport: Basketball, sophomore

Why she was selected: Carlson scored 32 points in a season-opening victory over Neuqua Valley last week. Carlson was a Kane County Chronicle all-area selection last season and is looking to build on a promising start to her varsity career.

Chronicle sports reporter Jacob Bartelson caught up with Carlson to discuss the beginning of the season, her goals, teammates and more. Below is an edited transcript presented by Don McCue Chevrolet in St. Charles.

Bartelson: What’s been your biggest motivator heading into the season?

Carlson: Winning. Last year, we didn’t really have a full season and everything like that. [So we want to take] advantage of this season [keeping in mind] with everything that happened. It’s going to be really fun.

Bartelson: As a player, what’s been a focus for your growth and getting better? Obviously, you’ve established yourself, but I’m sure you’re looking to build on it.

Carlson: Definitely my shooting. I’ve been working on that a lot. [Also], my playmaking in general, seeing the floor at all times and everything.

Bartelson: It’s early in the season – you’ve played one game to this point – is there a teammate you expect to have a big jump this season?

Carlson: We have a couple people. Kylee [Gehrt], she’s a sophomore. She’s been stepping up a lot. She does a lot of good stuff on defense and everything. We have a few freshmen who have been doing really, really well.

Bartelson: How have you embraced your leadership role this season being it’s your second season on varsity?

Carlson: Just trying to get everyone together. If somebody is down at a practice or in a game, just picking them up and trying to make everyone feel comfortable with the team.