Making Things Happen

This year, the West Ashley High School varsity girls’ basketball team welcomes freshman Brianna Lopez. Lopez has been playing basketball for the past five years, but this is her first year on varsity for the Wildcats. Lopez began playing basketball when she stopped playing soccer a few years ago. “I was playing soccer and it didn’t feel right. Then, I started playing Upward basketball and I liked it, so I just kept playing,” says Lopez.
“I’m taller than everybody and I can get the rebounds,” says the 5-foot-10 Lopez. She has made a positive impression on her teammates and coaches this season. Lopez comes from a family of athletes and that’s where she gets her extra motivation. Her father played basketball and football in high school and her mother competed in gymnastics and volleyball.
When Lopez found out that she was named the West Of’s Athlete of the Week, she was very excited. She believes that she was chosen because of her defensive skills. “My coach says I do little things to help win games,” says Lopez.
“Bri, a.k.a. ‘Slim,’ has continued to show progress as a freshman on the varsity team. She’s lead the team in rebounds through four games. Last week, she had 19 rebounds between two games,” says varsity girls’ basketball coach Maria Williams.
But Williams is impressed with more than just her defense. “Bri has a lot of potential and a bright future ahead of her. She is very quiet but works hard and is a true team player,” says Williams.
Last year Lopez played on the 8th grade girls’ elite Carolina Cavaliers team. They were the 2015 AAU Division II National Runner-Up. While this was an incredible achievement, it will not be her last. In school, Lopez also makes good grades, something she is very proud of. She received all As during the first quarter of the semester, which helped her make the honor roll. During the season, Lopez and the varsity team practice Monday through Friday, two hours each day when they don’t have games. In her free time Lopez enjoys playing trivia games.
When things get tough on the court or in school, Lopez remembers her father’s advice: Work hard every day. Lopez also follows a motto that keeps her motivated: “Some people want it to happen; some people wish it will happen, and some people make it happen.” Lopez is definitely someone who makes things happen, and we look forward to three more seasons of watching her make things happen on the basketball court at West Ashley High.