Q: When did you start playing basketball?

Hackmann: Around second or  grade.

Q: What motivated you to start?

Hackmann: I just started playing. My parents just put me in the sport and I really liked it. I just kept playing.

Q: Before that, did you have any interest in basketball?

Hackmann: I mean, I always watched it my whole life. I probably got inspired by Kyrie Irving, the NBA player.

Q: Other than that, what made you stick with the sport?

Hackmann: How much I love it. I love doing it, I always have fun, and I know a lot of people. I have a lot of friends from it, so probably my friends, like sticking with them.

Q: Would you say it’s a supportive community?

Hackmann: Yeah, they all support each other. I make a lot of new friends from the sport.

Q: Okay so other than the good parts, what are some challenges that you have faced as a student-athlete?

Hackmann: Definitely confidence. Like confidence is the main thing that I’ve struggled with. Sometimes I’m good, and sometimes my confidence isn’t good, so I don’t play good. I would definitely say confidence and consistency.

Q: So, let’s say you have a bad day. How do you move on from that?

Hackmann: I just try not to think about the bad days I have. I keep rolling, like my mindset and everything.

Q: I see. How do you balance school life and student life?

Hackmann: It’s hard, but it’s definitely possible. You can do it, but know it’s hard.

Q: What’s your routine? 

Hackmann: I have practice every day after school. As soon as I get home, I do homework, and then I have just a little bit of rest time before I go to bed.

Q: Okay, moving on from that, what would you say has been the greatest moment of your season so far? Why?

Hackmann: Probably beating Howell. We played super good the whole game, and then after the game we dumped water on our coach. It was really good. We won by about ten points.

Q: Why was that game so significant to you?

Hackmann: Howell posted something on social media about how they won the last 19 of their 20 games, so that was the main thing. We beat them when nobody else could, and we hadn’t beat them for the past two years.

Q: What was your biggest contribution to that game?

Hackmann: I think my energy, like my effort. I played a lot of that game, everybody played good. I think especially my communication helped.

Q: Okay. So how has this sport impacted your life, whether it be mentally or physically?

Hackmann: There’s a lot of traits that you [need to develop] from sports. Like with me, there’s a lot of things that have changed, like friendships that have brought different traits. Recovery is important. If you don’t have that, it hurts because you practice every single day during basketball season.

Q: When did you start playing basketball? 

Halterman: I think in kindergarten or first grade I played at the YMCA.

Q: What made you want to start?

Halterman: My family is super into basketball. My dad loves basketball. Both my siblings play basketball, so it’s kind of like a Halterman rite of passage. So that’s what made me start.

Q: Why did you stay in it? 

Halterman: Originally, I just stayed in it because I loved the sport. But also, once I started the Junior Spartans program- which is our feeder program- in fourth grade, I started making friends in the program. We had so many people coming in freshman year, and I had played with them for so long that they were my teammates and my friends.

Q: What challenges have you faced as a high school athlete? 

Halterman: Just kind of balancing school and sports. Having practice every day after school kind of limits how much time you have to work on homework, and also have a social life. So it’s kind of hard to balance all three. 

Q: What has been the greatest moment of your season so far? 

Halterman: I think when we won the St Dominic tournament our entire team, we were just playing so well together. Some of these passes it [felt] like we were reading each other’s minds. And it was just a good tournament for me. I had my high-scoring game then, and we all rushed the court at the end.

Q: If you met someone who had never heard of basketball. How would you describe it to them?

Halterman: Well, it’s an interesting sport because it’s very team-oriented, like team-focused, but you also have so much individual responsibility. It’s a good combination of working by yourself and then a team. 

Q: What makes you a great player?

Halterman: I don’t know if I’d say great. I’m pretty good, I guess. Um, I think just being coachable is probably one of the most important things for an athlete, because if you can’t learn and make adjustments, then you’re just stuck where you always were. So I think being able to take advice from my coaches and apply it in every game is what makes me a good basketball player. 

Q: What about as a teammate? 

Halterman: I think I’m a good teammate because I’m encouraging. It’s easy to get down on yourself in basketball, especially if you make several mistakes in a row or turn the ball over a couple of times. So just picking my teammates up off the floor when they fall, or picking them up emotionally when they start having a good game, I think that’s a valuable thing.

Q: Has it changed your life and who you are?

Halterman: I think it’s made me more resilient. There’s a lot of coaching in the moment that has to happen, and you have to be able to take that feedback and know that it’s not personal, they’re just trying to help you out, make you better, help your team out.