GAME ON: The Player - Kelsey DeSanctis

GAME ON: The Player - Kelsey DeSanctis

Q & A with Kelsey DeSanctis, North Kingstown Girl’s Basketball

What has been the biggest challenge being a high school athlete?

The biggest challenge about being a high school athlete is being able to balance your schoolwork and basketball, as well as making sure you are getting enough sleep! The trick to balance is finding a routine and sticking to it.

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Who is your biggest motivator?

I always try to push my team and myself to the fullest. Our team quote is "teamwork makes the dream work" and I believe that my team is my biggest motivation including my coach.

Who is your biggest rival?

Our biggest rival is South Kingstown and Exeter West Greenwich. We have had a rivalry with EWG since Youth Travel Basketball. This season when we went head to head with both of these teams we beat them the first time, but the second time around they came right back at us and gained a win.

What are you working to improve your game?

I am working on my emotional game to make sure I keep my head on my shoulders because we began playoffs this Wednesday and every practice and game counts.

What is your greatest memory on the court?

My greatest memory from the court this year was when we came off a loss and went up against Westerly. We had loss to Westerly in the first round and were ready for round two. We went into overtime and lost, but the team played amazingly and we knew we could play with any team in the state if we played like we did in that game. Even though we lost, it was a feeling of accomplishment and we had called a team meeting the day before and you could tell our hard work and heart had really paid off.

How are you able to balance your schoolwork with practices, games, and training?

I manage to balance everything with a routine and never getting out of my routine.

Where do you see yourself going from here, do you plan to pursue this sport in college?

I plan on attending Johnson & Wales for Business Management, Hospitality and Public Relations. I hope to continue coaching Recreation basketball and play intramural sports in college because I plan on focusing on school. I will be able to use the leadership, communication skills, sportsmanship, teamwork and competitiveness I gained from playing basketball and being a captain in my future with my career and life.