Through her leadership, Valerie Ha ’24 serves as a source of guidance and inspiration for her teammamtes.
Girls Basketball players follow Co-Captain Valerie Ha ’24 as she serves as a role model for the team. Particularly, her technical skills and encouragement aid Ha in leading players, on and off the court.
Because her elementary school only offered girls basketball, Ha found herself playing it from an early age. She shared that while she started by chance, a combination of her enjoyment of the sport and her natural ability led her to stick with it.
“I started playing when I was seven. My school only had a girls basketball team and a boys soccer team cause we didn’t have enough places or coaches and stuff like that. So, I just decided to try out, and I realized I was good at it, so I kept playing, and I had a lot of fun,” said Ha.
On the court, Ha leads through enthusiasm, competition, and work ethic. Ha shared that the energy she puts out helps unify the court.
“I lead by excitement and example and by always putting in my effort, and that shows on the court especially…[I lead] by example on the court, by competition, I think. My energy on the court really helps to bring the team together for a win,” said Ha.
Teammate Emerson Buckley ’25 recognized Ha for the example she sets. She noted the effects of a strong, disciplined, hardworking co-captain, which then instilled similar values in the team.
Buckley said, “She definitely leads by example going hard and giving 100 percent at all times. It really sets the tone for all our practices and games pushing us all to match her energy and compete. She has really pushed me to never back down and I know that goes for a lot of the other girls on the team as well. She is an amazing guard and I think she is really an inspiration for our younger players not only with her ability but her confidence and relentlessness.”
According to Sophie Dandawa ’25, Ha is technically skilled, a trait that players on the team look up to her for.
“[Valerie] definitely leads by example. You watch her on the court, you watch how she passes, how she plays, how she scores. You can’t help but want to do the same, you really want to play like she does. She’s also very energetic,” said Dandawa.
Ha plans to continue basketball in some capacity in the future.
