R-JENERATION: Coronado basketball player discusses pressures both on and off the court
Sofia Cruz is not like most other girls her age. A junior at Coronado High School, she manages to find a balance between her rigorous schoolwork, her social life and, most importantly, her promising athletic career.
Cruz, a point guard on the basketball team, has played in the state championship game in each of the past two years, winning one. She has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average since her freshman year and is being recruited by several Division I schools.
"Sofia is the prime example of what we all, on the team, strive to be," sophomore guard Skylar Feldman says. "She juggles so many assignments and activities and is still able to make time to always practice and to always outdo herself."
R-Jeneration recently sat down with Cruz to talk about sports and school.
Question: How do you balance your duties both off and on the court?
Answer: It is difficult to find a perfect balance between school and basketball, but I try to plan ahead so I don’t get stuck doing a project or writing a paper on a game night.
Q: Is basketball something that you have always wanted to do? What got you interested?
A: I started playing basketball in fourth grade. I always loved sports as a kid and basketball just happened to be the one I liked the most so I stuck with it. I became interested because my stepdad took me to the park to play. He always made the game fun.
Q: What other activities are you involved in? Any clubs or student organizations?
A: I am involved in Best Buddies. It’s a club at our school where friendships are made between disabled and nondisabled students. My buddy is Caroline. She goes to Bob Miller (Middle School). We talk on the phone almost every day and hang out on the weekends. She is an amazing girl and lights up my day.
Q: With basketball taking up so much of your free time, how is it that you still remain one of the top students in your class?
A: My grades have been very important to me, even before I started playing basketball. So I always put my schoolwork first, because I know at the end of the day my education is what will take me far in life.
Q: What colleges have scouted you recently?
A: I have been in contact with different schools. Some of the schools I have gotten letters of interest from are Colorado, Loyola Marymount, Harvard and San Diego Christian College.
Q: Which school are you really interested in and signing on with?
A: I’m really interested in the San Diego-area schools. I love the area and would love to attend the University of San Diego.
Q: Are there any pregame rituals that you have? Anything quirky?
A: When I get ready for a game, I like to put on my iPod and listen to my "Hype" playlist to get my adrenaline flowing. I also visualize myself on the court scoring a basket right before the game begins to give myself some confidence going into the game.