AOTW: Isabella Halleg ready to lead Bees back to success

Ed. Note- This week’s Bethel female Spotlight Athlete is Isabella Halleg, the top returning basketball player for the Bees last season.

Another coaching change for the Bethel girls basketball team normally means uncertainty when the season begins. But for Bethel junior Isabella Halleg, the familiar face she will see roaming the sidelines is one she feels can help bring the Bees back to winning ways.

Josh Anderson is at the helm for the Bees, and he has been with the program for several years coming up through the system. Halleg played for him and is ready for the challenges this season.

“Luckily for me, I have been with Coach Anderson since seventh grade,” she said. “I am confident in his skills and believe he will bring out the best in this team for the upcoming season. He is dedicated to this team and pushes us hard in practices which will show on game days. I believe people will see more fight in this team in the upcoming season and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Halleg is the returning leading scorer on a team that didn’t score many points. She is looking forward to that changing this season and the bees making the road back to success with some talented players.

“Last year was a rough year, but I truly believe I grew the most during that time,” she said. “I had limited varsity time my freshman year, so to come out my sophomore year as one of the leaders of our team, it definitely challenged me in a good way. Last season made me step up as a leader and work even harder. It also helped me handle tough situations in a better way.”

“As a player who led the team in scoring last year, my plans for this upcoming season are to build on that,” she added. “My goals include my overall game, increasing my scoring efficiency, and helping my teammates succeed. As an upperclassman to a fairly young team, I hope to be a good leader. I am confident in the upcoming younger players and believe they will add to our success.”

Halleg played basketball as she was growing up. She recognized her brother Michael as a huge inspiration to her continued growth in the game.

“He inspired me and continues to do so to this day,” she said. “Growing up, I tried a few different sports such as soccer, softball, and volleyball. However, nothing compared to my love for basketball. I actually started out on the court as a drill team dancer on the sidelines but quickly switched gears to playing. I would say we are mostly a basketball family, out of 12 cousins, nine of us are basketball players.”

For now, she knows this summer is huge in her development as a leader for this team and she is counting on using her time to make her game even better.

“It’s been a busy spring and summer,” she said. “I play on a competitive Lady Hoskins AAU team which is a talented group of girls that push me to work harder and be a better player. I also get in workouts with my brother Micheal. After AAU, I plan on getting back in training with Caleb South to hone my specific skills and abilities.”