From sinking three-pointer after three-pointer, starting every game and leading the George Ranch girls’ Varsity basketball team on various levels of the offense and defense, Julia Schwake is making waves. And she’s only a freshman. But she knows what she’s doing — playing with the Varsity girls isn’t a new experience for her. Two years ago she participated in the district-wide summer league as a seventh grader. In the two years since then, she’s honed her ball handling, rebounding and three-point-shooting skills to add another powerful asset to the team. On the hardwood, she’s a powerhouse player. In the locker room, she’s a lively spirit of sass and humor. Schwake made time in her busy basketball-filled schedule to answer a few questions about her biggest passion for The Wrangler.

Q: “When did you start playing basketball?”

JS: “[I started playing basketball] around five years old.”

Q: “What do you love about it?”

JS: “I feel like basketball is the best team sport there is. It’s the most exciting sport to watch and play. It relieves me from stress and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Q: “What do you do outside of school to prepare for games?”

JS: “I constantly train and work on my game — whether it’s for AAU or high school ball. I try to get in the gym as much as I can.

Q: “What do you do other than basketball?”

JS: “I run track, but I won’t be doing it this year. Basketball is my main focus right now.”

Q: “What’s the best/funniest thing that happened to you at a game?”

JS: “The best thing that happened at a game was walking into the gym and seeing myself surrounded by college coaches. This gave me the opportunity to show them my skill and hard work.  The funniest thing that happened to me [was when] I collided with my point guard… and we both fell to the floor. I got back up and felt lost and didn’t know where I was. I was completely out of it.”

Q: “What do you want to do with your talent?”

JS: “My goal is to get a scholarship and play basketball in college. As of right now, I want to continue getting better and making other players better.”