Student-Athlete of the Week – Emma Svoboda
"It's in my blood," said Emma Svoboda.
She's not kidding… both of Emma Svoboda's parents played Division I basketball. Now, she's carrying on the tradition.
"Yeah, it's nice being tall, but in the end, at the end of the day, just having a strong work ethic is going to separate you from other people," she said.
But there's more to the story. Despite her height and family background in the sport, Svoboda was a soccer player. That's until she met basketball coach Electra Viveros in middle school.
"She was the first sixth grade female that I've had that walked into the room and was taller than me… I just knew… something in my gut was telling me this girl has to play basketball. I tell her this all the time… I just feel like her path was meant to cross my path," said LQHS head basketball coach Electra Viveros.
Svoboda got out on the court and the rest is history.
"My mouth dropped, cause I've never seen anything like it," said Viveros.
"I think I have a really good touch and a head for the game."
She plans to get her masters in a field relating to human performance and Kinesiology while playing basketball at Oklahoma.
"I love to compete. So whether that's me versus my homework assignment, me versus a test I'm about to take, I know I'm going to ace it, I know I'm going to finish it, I know I'm going to do it to the best of my ability," said Svoboda.
Despite her talent, the first thing that comes to mind when she describes herself as a basketball player has nothing to do with that.
"I strongly believe that I'm a great teammate," she said.
"She understands that the end goal for basketball is different for other girls on our team and she is trying to make their memories really enjoyable," said Viveros.
Svoboda is still writing her basketball story. A story that started in a sixth grade classroom could end in Europe with Svoboda playing professionally one day.
NOMINATE A STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Send nominations to Blake.Arthur@KESQ.com or Taylor.Begley@KESQ.com
The Student-Athlete of the Week segment airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. on KESQ News Channel 3.
