Basketball Feature: Fairfield Lady Lions
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For Fairfield senior Heather Cox and junior teammate Kaitlin Evans, they want more from their basketball program. They want to see continued improvement from not only themselves, but improvement from the team.
They know they have to continue to put in the work necessary to have a better overall record, and the two veteran varsity players know to win games, it will start with their leadership.
Cox is entering her fourth year of varsity, and she knows this is her last chance to lead the Lady Lions to a winning record and more wins in the postseason.
"I'm finally getting the leadership role," Cox said. "I'm actually looked at as the leader. I'm old enough now to be the leader, and I welcome the role. I'm the age where I know how to take on the leader role better and can help more.
"It's been helpful for me (playing varsity for four seasons), honestly, and I think for my team too."
Cox said since her freshman season, she has had to step up and play the varsity role.
"Freshman year, I had to learn how to step up into the varsity role," she said. "I had a bunch of good leaders, and they taught me how to be a good leader. My sophomore and junior year, I learned how to be a better leader."
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Evans is being looked at to play a pivotal role on and off the court as well, as she spoke about when she had to play varsity at a young age.
"It was scary at the beginning, but now it's getting a lot easier," she said. "It's really about helping our team and being more mature. We know what we're doing now. I want to be one of the leaders, I want to be a captain and I want to win a lot of games."
This past season, Cox, as a junior, averaged a double-double, scoring 20 points per game (440 points) with 14.5 rebounds per game (319 total). She shot 43.4 percent from the field and 61.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Cox, who is nearing 1,000 points for her career, also added 39 steals, and of her team-high 319 rebounds, 125 were on the offensive side. Cox said at the start of her freshman year, she never realized she'd be where she is today on the basketball court.
"My freshman year, I was terrible and never thought I would be in the position that I had to be thrown into," she said. "I just practiced a lot and went into AAU, and it helped me a lot.
"I just came in in the summers and worked really hard to get where I am."
Evans knows the team has to improve on many aspects to achieve their goal of a winning season this year. Last year, she averaged nine points a game, along with an average of three assists per game. She also added 70 rebounds and 38 steals.
"We have to make fewer turnovers this year to be a better team," she said. "We aren't going to be the same team we were last year."
They know they have to continue to put in the work necessary to have a better overall record, and the two veteran varsity players know to win games, it will start with their leadership.
Cox is entering her fourth year of varsity, and she knows this is her last chance to lead the Lady Lions to a winning record and more wins in the postseason.
"I'm finally getting the leadership role," Cox said. "I'm actually looked at as the leader. I'm old enough now to be the leader, and I welcome the role. I'm the age where I know how to take on the leader role better and can help more.
"It's been helpful for me (playing varsity for four seasons), honestly, and I think for my team too."
Cox said since her freshman season, she has had to step up and play the varsity role.
"Freshman year, I had to learn how to step up into the varsity role," she said. "I had a bunch of good leaders, and they taught me how to be a good leader. My sophomore and junior year, I learned how to be a better leader."
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Evans is being looked at to play a pivotal role on and off the court as well, as she spoke about when she had to play varsity at a young age.
"It was scary at the beginning, but now it's getting a lot easier," she said. "It's really about helping our team and being more mature. We know what we're doing now. I want to be one of the leaders, I want to be a captain and I want to win a lot of games."
This past season, Cox, as a junior, averaged a double-double, scoring 20 points per game (440 points) with 14.5 rebounds per game (319 total). She shot 43.4 percent from the field and 61.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Cox, who is nearing 1,000 points for her career, also added 39 steals, and of her team-high 319 rebounds, 125 were on the offensive side. Cox said at the start of her freshman year, she never realized she'd be where she is today on the basketball court.
"My freshman year, I was terrible and never thought I would be in the position that I had to be thrown into," she said. "I just practiced a lot and went into AAU, and it helped me a lot.
"I just came in in the summers and worked really hard to get where I am."
Evans knows the team has to improve on many aspects to achieve their goal of a winning season this year. Last year, she averaged nine points a game, along with an average of three assists per game. She also added 70 rebounds and 38 steals.
"We have to make fewer turnovers this year to be a better team," she said. "We aren't going to be the same team we were last year."