Athlete Profile: Morgan Helmle

OCONTO FALLS — After a solid regular season and run through the North Eastern Conference, the Oconto Falls High School girls basketball is preparing to make a deep postseason run. Senior Morgan Helmle plans to help the team do just that.

Helmle is a reliable 3-point shooter for the team and averages more than six points a game. She also is a solid rebounder and defender.

“Morgan is a valuable leader and always brings energy to our practices,” said Oconto Falls coach Michael Kaczmarek. “She provides great leadership for our underclassman and has become one of our role models in our program.”

Helmle and the fourth-seeded Panthers will open postseason play by hosting fifth-seeded Xavier on Friday in a Division 3 regional semifinal.

Q: When did your interest in basketball begin?

A: My interest in basketball began when I was in 5K and my parents took me to the YMCA to play in the league games that were held on Saturdays. I was the only girl playing on a team with all boys, against teams that were all boys.

Q: What is your favorite part about the basketball season?

A: My favorite part about basketball season is getting to spend a lot time with my teammates. Whether it’s working hard at practice, lifting or laughing together on the bus, I enjoy how we come together to play the game we love to represent our school and community.

Q: You are about to enter the postseason in your senior year of high school. Will that motivate you at all on the court knowing each game could be your last at this level of play?

A: Each game this season, I’ve played like it was my last game. You never know what could happen with injuries and other things. Now that we are entering the postseason, I really want to kick it up a notch and just play my heart out. This is the last time I’ll be playing any sport with most of these girls, and I want to make the most of it and have fun.

Q: What does the team need to do well in order to put itself in position to make a strong postseason run?

A: Overall, we just need to work together as a team. On offense, we do really well at finding each other when we’re open. We need to keep that up and communicate on defense.

Q: What’s your favorite memory of competing on the Oconto Falls basketball team?

A: My favorite memory was during my sophomore year when we had a game against Menominee (Michigan), and I made seven 3-pointers, which was my career high.

Q: What does basketball mean to you?

A: Over the years, basketball has given me everything from the joy of playing the sport to the relationships that I have built with my teammates, to the important life lessons that I will be able to use forever. Basketball has taught me perseverance, how to have the right attitude and most importantly that dedication and hard work pays off.

Q: Favorite TV show, movie and musical artist?

A: TV show — “Friends.” Movie — “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Musical artist — Khalid.

Q: Who is your favorite athlete, and why?

A: My favorite athlete is Jonathan Lucroy. I wasn’t always a catcher for softball, but when I first started, Jonathan Lucroy was the catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, and I always enjoyed watching him play.

Q: Name one thing about yourself that not many people know.

A: One thing about myself that not many people know is that I am an early morning person. I rarely sleep past 7 a.m. on the weekends. However, when I am sleeping, I sleep so soundly that once I slept through an alarm going off in our house, and my parents (Jack and Debbie) were going in and out of my room, turning lights on and trying to figure out if it was the smoke alarm or the carbon monoxide detector going off. I never heard a thing.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not in school or competing in a high school sport?

A: My favorite thing to do when I am not in school or competing in a sport is shopping and spending time with my sister (Maddy) and cousins (Haylee and Courtney).

Q: What’s the greatest piece of advice you have ever been told?

A: The greatest piece of advice that I have been told is to never take the easy way out and to always try your best.

Q: What are some things you hope to accomplish after graduating from high school?

A: Some things that I hope to accomplish after graduating from high school are to graduate from Northern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in biology or chemistry and to be accepted into the Michigan School of Optometry where I will study to become an optometrist.

AT A GLANCE

Athlete: Morgan Helmle

Sport: Girls basketball

Position: Small forward

School: Oconto Falls High School

Year: Senior