Senior forward Marie Rothrock has been a rock of stability for Corydon. She helped the Panthers win a sectional title and advance to the regional final last season, and now she’s stepping into a leadership role on a team that lost two starters.
What got you hooked on the game of basketball?
I’ve played since I was little, and I really enjoy it. I enjoy being around the girls, and we have a great group of coaches that I love to be around every day. My dad was a coach, so I always went to practice with him ever since I could walk.
As a senior and veteran starter, how is your approach different this season?
I’ve taken on more of a leadership role. Our point guard is normally our leader, so I’ve tried to help them keep the girls focused.
What lesson has being a team leader taught you?
Our coaches focus hard on making us better basketball players and making the right decisions off the court. That helps us to grow as a person. We have to work together, and it’s going to be just like that in the real world.
How can someone become a better person through basketball?
I think a lot of it has to do with how you carry yourself off the court. You have to realize people are watching you, not just when you’re running up and down the court. When you’re in class, when you’re in the hallways, when you’re in public, you have to carry yourself as a respectable person.
What pointed you toward a possible career in medicine?
My mom is a CRNA, so I’ve had the opportunity to follow doctors in the hospital. I would like to be an anesthetist. I really enjoy it.
You also played high school golf. Has that sport prepared you for basketball?
Golf helped me a lot mentally. It’s one of those sports where, if you lose it mentally, you’re done. That helps me in basketball. When your shot isn’t falling, you have to be mentally strong. I’m not always the best at that.
As a defending sectional champion, what are the team goals you have set?
We just set out to get better every day. We want to show up every day at practice, be focused and try to get better through the games. Hopefully, we can make a deep tournament run, but we’re not trying to get banners on the wall as much as we’re trying to become better people and basketball players. If we win, that’s great.
MARIE ROTHROCK UP CLOSE
CorydonSchool:
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parents Matt and Tammy; brother Bradley (22)Family:
Rothrock also plays golf. She’s the president of the National Honor Society and a member of the Spirit Club. She plans to major in pre-med in college.Student/athlete:
“She’s a good, tough kid, a very good student in the classroom. She’s a better person than she is a basketball player, and that says a lot right there. That’s more of a statement about our community than it is anything else.”Coach Michael Uhl:
