You’ll be seeing double at Woodrow Wilson basketball games this season. Tori Strhan will be a cheerleader on the sidelines at the boys games and a starting player on the girls team.
Strhan, a senior, played her first organized basketball when she was a freshman. After that successful season,s he suffered a major knee injury that put her on the bench for her entire sophomore year.
Last year, as a junior, the shooting guard suffered through a frustrating year for the Lady Wildcats. Although her knee was better, she still wasn’t completely healthy, and the team’s 2-8 district record wasn’t up to par either.
“I am extremely competitive, so last year was hard to take,” says Strhan, who also ran a 63-second quarter-mile last spring for the track team.
“We have no excuses this year. We expect to play better, and we’re more focused as ta team.”
As a junior, the 5-foot-6-inch guard averaged eight points a game. In the 1993-1994 season, she is expected to step up as a leader and a scorer, a role she has adjusted to nicely.
“Tori has gone from being a follower to a leader,” says Woodrow Wilson coach Linda Poston.
“Her game is much improved from a year ago by playing in organized leagues, and her knew is much stronger now. She’s a hard-nosed, determined player who is working hard for a scholarship in the classroom and on the basketball court.
Studying is nothing new for Strhan. Last year’s B+ average has jumped to an A average this fall. If she doesn’t earn a scholarship, her college plans are to attend the University of Texas.
“But if I get a basketball scholarship I’ll go anywhere in the country,” says Strhan, who hopes to be a child psychologist or social worker.
Her enthusiasm about school and sports makes Strhan the prototypical student/athlete. She considers her mom, Shirley, her best friend and biggest fan.
Strhan has worked hard on her shot for the coming season. She says she is physically stronger, thanks to a steady weight-lifting program that also has increased her self-confidence.
Strhan looks at a team and individual goals in a manner suitable for any team spokeswoman and the only senior starter for Poston’s team.
“Our goal is to play as a team, not just a bunch of individuals,” Strhan says.
“Obviously, we’d like to improve on last year’s record. I hate to lose, but as long as you play your hardest, you don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”
