Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Batavia’s Kaidyn King, girls basketball, senior

Name: Kaidyn King

School: Batavia, senior

Sport: Girls basketball

What she did: King averaged 14 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and four steals to help the Bulldogs defeat Wheaton North and Geneva.

King was selected the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here’s her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

Boenitz: You went 2-0 last week after suffering back-to-back losses the week before. What was the feeling getting back in the win column?

King: It definitely all has to do with the way that we practice. When we know that we’re going through a little bit of a rut, we always work 10 times harder in practice and our pace is always at 100%. We’re getting on the line, even if we’re tired, we’re showing up to the gym. And the more that my teammates push me, the more confident it makes me feel going into the next game. So I was really fired up for those two games.

Boenitz: You helped hold Wheaton North to 24 points. What was the defensive game plan?

King: My favorite thing about basketball is defense. And so whenever I get to go out there, especially against Wheaton North when they have such talented ball-handlers like Sara Abdul, when I get to pressure those guards and get those steals, the points just come with it. The main focus for me is those steals. That’s what’s important.

Boenitz: You also had a team-high 15 points to secure a regular-season sweep of Geneva. What was the feeling of getting that win on the road?

King: It’s a really awesome feeling, especially knowing that we hadn’t won a game on their court in quite a bit of time. We had that goal in mind at the start of the game, and we just chased after it. Even when things aren’t going well for us, like in the first quarter when they were gathering some points up against us, we know that we can go on a run. And we’ve just got to get our heads in it.

Boenitz: There were a lot of questions about the team heading into the season, especially after losing Brooke Carlson. How do you think the team has responded this year?

King: I feel like, especially with all of those comments that we were hearing, we had something to prove. And that gave us a huge motivation going into the season. I remember our first week of practice, we were having the toughest practices that I’ve experienced at Batavia, and I just knew after that first week that we were we were going to go out and prove something.

Boenitz: You also had fellow seniors Hallie Crane and Natalie Warner return to the lineup this week. What was the feeling of having them back on the court?

King: It was just such a happy feeling having them back together, like you could see our smiles on the court, especially as we were running out. And it just felt like we were back home again with all of our players. And it’s always so fun playing with your best friends on the court.

Boenitz: How do you think having them on the court, along with other seniors like Julia Arulandu, helps elevate your game?

King: Having them on the court really helps me, because Nat is an incredible shooter, and Hallie can drive as [well] as anyone else in our conference. And when you know that you are out there with such talented players, you don’t feel the pressure to have to do more than who you are. So I feel comfort being, like, I can just go out here and be the best point guard I can be. Get them their points, and then sometimes they end up falling for me. But it makes me play better, because I have that confidence in myself knowing that if I don’t score, I have someone who’s going to pick me up.

Boenitz: Do you have any superstitions?

King: I don’t think I have any superstitions, but my shoelaces have to be tight enough before a game. If they aren’t tight, then I feel like I’m going to play bad. And the other one is if I’m shooting really good in warmups, I usually don’t shoot that well in the game. So if I’m missing shots in warmups, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m fired up.'

Boenitz: Do you have a favorite pregame meal or drink?

King: Me and Hallie (Crane) actually kind of have the same thing. Usually before a game, we’ll both show up with a Starbucks Pink Drink. And I hate to sound like every other girl, but it really makes me excited, and it makes our day better.