With the loss of last year’s entire starting five, the girls’ varsity basketball team has turned to new talent stepping on the court. Senior shooting guard Bengu Atik is leading the pack.
“Me making a shot makes a bigger difference. Last year, if I missed, no big deal. But now a lot more lies on my shoulders,” Atik said.
Atik has been playing basketball her whole life. At Redwood, she made JV as a freshman and then was the only sophomore in her class to make varsity. But age and injuries kept her off the starting lineup until now.
“I’m taking this as my year because I’m a senior,” she said. “I’ve been practicing so hard all season long, and I want to make a change this year.”
Atik said she was in the gym every day during the offseason, working with a personal trainer to improve her ball handling and shooting.
“Now I can drive really well, so I’m opening up angles for myself,” she said. “Recently I’ve been trying to make a shot for myself instead of having a teammate do it.”
However, three-point shooting is still the strongest aspect of Atik’s game. At the girls’ high school level, long-ranged shots are typically uncommon, but Atik is skilled enough to make them.
“Someone who’s guarding me may think playing a couple feet off is enough, but little does she know I can shoot over her,” she said.
In the offseason, Atik also played for Strictly Hoops, an AAU organization comprised of some of MCAL’s best players. Her successful summer drew attention from several colleges, including Division I schools Pepperdine University, UC Davis, University of San Francisco, and Division III schools New York University and Smith College.
Although she is aspiring to play at the next level, Atik’s focus right now is still on Redwood’s season.
“There are so many girls on the team who didn’t really see the court last year and didn’t get that experience before, so it’s kind of hard to bring it all together now,” she said.
Atik, who had a minor MCL tear, was sidelined for most of last season. Additionally, she didn’t play as an underclassmen because the coaches wanted older, more experienced players on the court.
Despite losing four senior starters and the starting point guard to a knee injury, the Giants have started the preseason 1-1 as of press time.
“We’ve had our struggles, but now we’re all adjusting,” Atik said. “Some of the people who sat on the bench are starters now. But we’re a month in and doing amazing.”
