Kayla Hugie Staff Writer “She just understands,” said Logan High Girls Basketball Coach Kevin Anderson of his super star Kira Peterson. This season has proven that she definitely does understand this game. Peterson, a junior, leads the Logan Grizzlies in scoring and threes on this season. Peterson also leads the 3A division in three-pointers per game and is seventh in the state. She has played an enormous role in helping the Grizzlies with some huge wins this season. Peterson is a part of a family of seven. She is the youngest of five with four older brothers. This is where the life of basketball was implanted in her. “I always had a basketball in my hands,” said Peterson. “I just naturally followed them and did the things they did.” She participated in super league teams throughout her younger years. Due to a lack of participants the same age, she joined the group just above her. There she was pushed to compete and succeed with others older than herself. Towards the end of middle school she joined a club team, Cache Valley Elite. There she found a bigger love for the game and made it a priority in her life. The training and determination helped her find a spot on the Grizzlies’ starting five as a freshman. In her very first game she achieved one of her favorite individual successes in her career: She hit a three pointer to send Logan into overtime and later sent them home that night with a win. That year was not the dream she had always dreamed of, though. It was one of the most trying of all her basketball years. “It was scary coming in as a freshman, learning a new system and playing with older teammates who believed they deserved it more. They didn’t know me; I didn’t know them,” Kira said of this difficult time. The next year did not prove to be much better for the star. A neck injury led to sitting out of practices and drills. Peterson said, “I couldn’t get into the feel of things. I just stopped caring, and I was slowly feeling like giving up. I lost my love for the game.” She felt frustrated, because the hard work was not paying off. "It was scary coming in as a freshman, learning a new system and playing with older teammates who believed they deserved it more." Then, through one of her biggest influences, Coach Andersen, that passion was brought back to her again. Constant encouragement and help from Coach Andersen kept her progressing.
Anderson said, “I just think that’s the job of a coach. To help players improve their games, and Kira is very open to my coaching.” Endless open gyms and summer games helped Peterson open her eyes to the potential she as an individual had as well as her team. “Being surrounded by the uplifting team helped me realize that, ‘you are doing what you love with your friends. How could you not love that?’” the junior said. Things have started to turn around. “I say this a lot, but the difference between sophomore year and junior year is maturity. She is just more mature,” said Anderson. Peterson’s favorite year of basketball has been this season. She told of all the highs they have had: Beating teams they were always unable to beat, finishing the close games, and getting into a great groove as a team. Peterson and the Grizzlies have competed against top teams and been successful this year as they are currently 15-3. Peterson has been the girl to watch out for this year and her stats back it up. She has 53 threes on the year and has racked in a total of 282 points on the year with an average of 14.1 points per game.She is reaping the rewards of her hard work and dedication. As an all around great player on and off the court, Peterson is impressive to those she meets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Editors:
|