The Gregg Schindler Female Student Athlete of the Month: In the Lead! By Ashley Hoskins Starting basketball at eight-years-old, Julia Rueda (‘23) strives for excellence as a sophomore point guard on the varsity girls’ basketball team at J.W. Mitchell High School. Rueda leads her team to victory by scoring numerous points during games, with guidance from her coach, Mr. James Devins (FAC). Through previous friendships with her fellow teammates, she learns what it takes to become a leader and encourage others on and off the court. “During the season, I try winning one game at a time. Lifting up my teammates during games is very important, especially if we’re down by a few points. I tell them to shake it off and get the ball back on the next play in order to keep them focused on the next possession. We’re hoping to make it to districts, then states and further towards the end of the season,” Rueda said.
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Making varsity two years in a row comes with joy but also hardships needed to work through. Rueda received a mild injury during the fifth game of the season, which meant taking time away from the sport she loved most. “I thought getting up early and spending long hours of practice was going to be the hard part of this journey. I had gotten a concussion around the middle of December and was out for about a month. Since it wasn’t too major, I knew I would come back at some point. Being patient was the difficult part,” Rueda said. With endless conditioning and long practices, Rueda plans on considering basketball as a college path once she graduates high school in 2023. “Since basketball has always been my number one sport, It would be nice to play in college. I would definitely look into options, such as Division one schools
As she dribbles down the court, Julia Rueda looks to pass the ball to a teammate in the Jan. 22 against East Lake High School. Photo by Olivia Hunt like the University of South Florida or the University of Central Florida in the future,” Rueda said. Rueda continues to succeed as she leads her team by 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game,
and 4.6 steals per game. During their six-game winning streak, she had led the way, which included critical victories over Fivay High School, Nature Coast High School, and Calvary Christian High School.
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