Senior Spotlight: Elly Trickett, Riverside
Riverside senior Elly Trickett was honored after Tuesday night’s game against Wade Hampton for scoring her 1,000th career point.
On Tuesday night in Riverside’s 81-20 win over Wade Hampton, senior forward Elly Trickett was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point.
Greer Sports Star caught up with Elly to talk about what that honor means to her, along with some of her other favorite moments from her Lady Warrior career.
Greer Sports Star (GSS): Talk a little bit about being honored last night for scoring your 1,000th career point. How cool was that for you?
Elly Trickett (ET): It was almost like a dream. I was trying to be where my feet were and be in the moment, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that it took to get there — all the practice time, all the training, everything that I’ve done outside of the gym. It was really nice to be in the moment, but it also was kind of like a culmination type of feeling.
GSS: How did you score your 1,000th point? What kind of bucket was it?
ET: It was very much my style of basket. I got an offensive rebound during a game we were playing at a tournament in Tennessee, went back up with the shot, and put it in. It was very ‘me.’
GSS: How did you first get involved with Riverside basketball?
ET: I played in middle school, and this is kind of embarrassing, but I didn't make the team in seventh grade. I was devastated. I was like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ I played church ball, and then at Riverside Middle I played in eighth grade, and [Riverside head coach Brianne] Jones came to one of the games. I had no idea who she was. Never met her. She talked to my mom and told her she was interested in me. I came to tryouts in my freshman year of high school, and I made varsity. I was really proud of myself, but I was also a little shocked and a little nervous since I didn't really know anyone on the team.
GSS: When do you feel like you began to hit your stride for the team?
ET: The beginning of my junior year. I put in a lot of work and gym time from the end of my sophomore year to the beginning of my junior year, because that loss we took to Pickens at the end of my sophomore year really stuck with me. It gave me fuel to do everything I could to make sure I never felt like that ever again.
GSS: What is your favorite game from your career?
ET: Definitely when we played South Pointe at home last year in the playoffs. We came into the game with a chip on our shoulder, because nobody thought we were going to win. I mean, the only people who thought we were going to win were the people in our locker room and our parents. I think that was my favorite memory because we were the underdog and we didn't let anything stop us.
GSS: What makes Riverside girls’ basketball so unique and special?
ET: What makes this program and team so unique is everything we do off the court. We are seriously a family. And I think that starts with the coaches. They have really played a really big role in my life. Coach Jones and [assistant] Coach [Deshara} Shealy are two of the biggest role models in my life. They're basically my second moms. The culture we've built here is that we want to win, but we're there for each other on and off the court, and that just helps us as a unit.
GSS: Does the team have a specific pregame music playlist in the locker room?
ET: So as a team, we actually have a song each year that we listen to before games. Last year, it was ‘Super Bass’ by Nicki Minaj. This year, it’s ‘Sticky’ by Tyler, the Creator. We listen to that song either right before we get off the bus for an away game or right before we leave the locker room at home.
GSS: What’s your ideal postgame meal?
ET: Cookout. Every time. I get that junior tray with corn dogs, a chicken ranch wrap, and white cheddar cheese bites. And if I’m really feeling hungry, I’ll add an Oreo peanut butter milkshake to it.
GSS: Go-to TV show right now?
ET: Funny enough, the girls on the team seem to watch all the same shows at the same time, that way we can talk about them together. Right now, ‘Gossip Girl’ is the one we’re on. But occasionally, my guilty pleasure is reality TV, so I’ll throw on some ‘Real Housewives’ or something like that.
GSS: As you hit the halfway mark of your senior season, what will you miss the most about your time playing for Riverside?
ET: I love everything about it, but I'm mostly going to miss my teammates, my sisters. When I go off to college, I’ll be leaving 12 sisters behind. I’m really going to miss the coaches as well. Just having people always in my corner like them that I know I can count on, that’s what I’ll miss the most.
GSS: What do you hope you’re remembered for at Riverside?
ET: Obviously, the records are nice. Like, 1000 points is amazing. But I hope people remember me more for the kind of teammate I was. I want people to remember me as someone who's going to hold you accountable, but also at the end of the day, be there for you no matter what and have your back. If someone pushes you down, I'm right behind you to pick you up. Even if someone on the other team falls, I'm going to pick them up, too.
Catch Elly and the Lady Warriors in action on Thursday, 1/9 at 6 p.m. as Riverside travels to Eastside to take on the rival Lady Eagles.