Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Emma Payton, Burlington Central, basketball, senior

Name: Emma Payton

Sport: Basketball

Why she was selected: Payton scored a career-high 29 points and hit nine 3-pointers in a loss to Crystal Lake Central. She was chosen Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week by voters in an online vote.

Here is her Q&A with Kane County Chronicle sports editor Joshua Welge.

I know that’s a career high in scoring, but have you ever had a game shooting like that? What was the feeling as they kept going in?

Payton: I have had a couple games where I had hit five to seven 3s, but I’ve never had eight or higher. As they kept going in, my confidence grew more and more. My teammates did a great job in getting me the ball for a shot and I just kept shooting.

I read that your dad sent you an Instagram video of Steph Curry to help with some shooting struggles. How did it help?

Payton: In the video he talked about how the certain ways he missed influenced how he shot his next one. He explained how if it was short or long, it was just about touch, but left or right, it was most likely a problem with footwork, balance or your follow through. I kept these in my head during warmups when we were shooting around and then by the time I got into the game, I knew what faults I needed to correct.

Have you always considered shooting a strength? What kind of shooting work do you do outside of practice?

Payton: I consider it a strength of mine. My confidence to shoot definitely grew over the summer. I had never considered it one of my greatest strengths before, so I made sure to put in the work when I could. Over the past couple years, I’ve worked on getting a quick release when I shoot. This helped me especially on Friday when I was shooting with a defender closing out on me quickly. I like to get shots up on our shooting machine at Central. I also played AAU basketball and trained through M14, where I worked a lot more on off-the-dribble shooting.

Have you played any other sports?

Payton: I played volleyball and did track in middle school, but in high school I have only played basketball all year round.

I saw you’re committed to play collegiately at Trine. How did you decide on them? What do you plan to study?

Payton: I decided on Trine because I really got to know all the players and the coaches. I did an overnight visit there and got to play in an open gym with the team and I knew this was the group of people I’d want to be around for the next four years. I also thought that their academics and the distance from home (3 1/2 hours) were the best fit for me. I plan on majoring in elementary education and double majoring or minoring in psychology.

Do you have a favorite sports team or athlete?

Payton: My favorite sports team is the UConn women’s basketball team and my favorite athlete is Jimmy Butler.

Do you have a favorite TV show or movie?

Payton: My favorite TV show is “Parks and Recreation” and my favorite movie is “When Harry Met Sally.”

Do you have a favorite food or meal?

Payton: My favorite food is mashed potatoes.