Freshman Kailey Henry, La Salle girls varsity guard, said she thrives on the competitive nature of basketball.
From a young age, Henry was inspired to play basketball by her older brother as well as professional basketball leagues.
Her parents are also major motivators for Henry. “They love watching basketball,” she said.
Henry shared they consistently push her to be her best, offering both support and encouragement to keep her playing.
“If I’m struggling in school or anything, they’re always the first person I go to, just because I know they’ll be helpful,” Henry said.
A personal motivator for Henry is the idea that “failure is just another reason to try harder, because you’re always gonna mess up,” she said. “If you mess up, you obviously are doing something right.”
This year, Henry finds herself enjoying Spanish 1 with Spanish teacher Ms. Karen Kessler, as well as Algebra 1 with math teacher Mr. Linus Oey. Religion is a class Henry finds particularly challenging due to the limited exposure to it that came from being homeschooled.
Both in and out of school, Henry faces a rigorous schedule. She plays basketball for her club team, the ML20 Enforcers, and enjoys the closeness from spending time with her teammates.
“We just have a good bond,” she said.
She practices four days a week for two and a half hours. This creates a challenge in finding the time to study. Additionally, Henry struggles to find time to hang out with her friends, often having to sacrifice her social life.
“I have basketball friends, but I have other friends too,” she said. “It’s hard to balance both.”
Henry has previously faced physical challenges through injuries in her knees, ankles, and wrists. To overcome these adversities, Henry tries to stay mentally strong through positivity as well as being grateful for her accomplishments on the court.
“Not playing for a couple years from injuries has taught me to be grateful for the time you get on the court,” she said.
Henry emphasizes success through her personal mindset of “next-play mentality.” This term is used to describe focusing on the present, or the next action, rather than lingering on mistakes.
“If something happens, don’t get down on yourself,” she said. “Mistakes happen.”
To achieve team success, Henry views qualities such as communication as well as trusting one another’s abilities as key aspects. She speaks of varsity head coach Lucas Fiorante as someone who has been an important role model in showing the team how to apply these traits.
“He is just very big on talking,” she said. “So it translates to our team.”
For the next basketball season, Henry is striving to simply keep the same positive mindset.
“Ups and downs are going to come, but there’s always going to be an up to a down,” she said.
Beyond the court, Henry finds herself recreationally swimming, spending time with her mom, and hanging out with her friends. After high school, Henry aims to play basketball at the collegiate level as well as become a lawyer in the future.
Henry’s advice to anyone interested in joining the La Salle basketball team is to have an open mindset and stay focused on one’s individual game.
“Don’t think that you’re bad or think that you’re good,” she said. “Just be open to play your game.”
