Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Kailey Plank, Kaneland, basketball, senior

Name: Kailey Plank

School: Kaneland, senior

Sport: Basketball

Why she was selected: Plank, who scored 22 points in a close 59-56 loss to Rochelle on Saturday, is the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Jacob Bartelson.

Bartelson: I, truthfully, haven’t seen much of Kaneland at this point. What’s you broad assessment of how your team has performed over the last number of weeks?

Plank: We knew going into the season that we were a smaller team, but we have come a long way since the start and have improved tremendously. We have been learning to jell better as a team these past couple of weeks and have been using our speed to our advantage and have been playing at a fast pace, which we love.

Bartelson: Where do you contribute the most on the court and how has that improved this year?

Plank: Each game, I feel my contributions are different to the team. Whether I’m scoring, causing turnovers or drawing the defense to me and finding the open player, whatever the team needs in that particular game I am willing to do. Recognizing the game and what my team needs of me is my biggest improvement this year.

Bartelson: In what ways do you feel softball and your athleticism translates well to basketball?

Plank: My years of training in softball with speed, agility and strength on the field has helped me out tremendously on the court. Softball works different parts of the body that sometimes basketball doesn’t focus on, which helps me in different parts of the basketball game.

Bartelson: Where do you play in the diamond and what position do you enjoy the most and why?

Plank: For my high school team, I mainly play shortstop, and for my travel team, I play second base, shortstop and outfield. I love playing all over the field, but if I had to pick, I would say I love shortstop the most. I love being at the shortstop position and taking on the leadership of that role. I am excited for the playoffs in basketball and I am looking forward to start my last season for Kaneland softball before I continue my softball career at Winona State University.