Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: Elle Bruschuk, Willowbrook, basketball, senior

Name: Elle Bruschuk

School: Willowbrook, senior

Sport: Basketball

Why she was selected: Bruschuk had 27 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, four steals and four blocks in Willowbrook’s 65-63 double overtime win over Downers Grove South. Bruschuk was selected the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Joshua Welge.

Welge: How great of a win was that for the team? What was it like to play in a game like that?

Bruschuk: The win was huge for our team. We have had our ups and downs in conference this year and have had many close games. Up until this point in the season we have been really trying to focus on closing out close games. A double overtime win over DGS is going to be a huge confidence booster for our team going into the second half of the season. Personally, this game was so much fun to experience and feel all of the competitive energy in the gym.

Welge: You had a huge game statistically. What stood out to you about your individual performance?

Bruschuk: I feel I had a pretty strong game but I did not do it alone. During this game I really tried to focus on getting as many rebounds as possible. This allowed my teammates and I to get many second-chance points. 27 points truly would not have been possible without my team. Everyone had different contributions throughout the game.

Welge: How big of a challenge was it to go from a long volleyball season right into basketball?

Bruschuk: To be honest, the transition from volleyball season to basketball season was a little rocky to begin with but as soon as I started to get into basketball shape it wasn’t too difficult.

Welge: What made you decide that basketball was the sport you’d play in college?

Bruschuk: Playing basketball at the collegiate level has been a longtime goal of mine. Growing up my sister and I played both club volleyball and club basketball. However, when I got to high school I decided to really focus in on my goal of playing basketball and stopped playing club volleyball. In my sophomore year, I wanted to be able to play with my sister and then focus on basketball the rest of high school, but the relationships I made and the support from the community made me want to continue to play through the rest of my high school career.

Welge: What do you plan to study in college?

Bruschuk: I want to hopefully major in business and minor in graphic design.

Welge: It being Christmas week, do you have a memorable gift you remember receiving?

Bruschuk: When I was younger, my sister and I would always ask for makeup or silly jewelry and for the next couple of weeks after receiving them we would go everywhere in full glam thinking we were movie stars.

Welge: Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?

Bruschuk: My favorite Christmas movie is “Elf.” We watch it every year while putting up our tree.