Freshman Autumn Lucky Stays Humble on Varsity Basketball

Humility is evident when speaking to freshman basketball player Autumn Lucky. She doesn’t need to boast to prove herself; instead, she simply works hard and bonds with her teammates. Her actions clearly speak for themselves, as she is one of the few freshmen to make Sandy High School’s girls varsity basketball team. 

Lucky plays as a shooting guard and backup point guard. She’s been playing basketball since she was in third grade, beginning with her local club team, Mountain Storm. Lucky says she was encouraged to play basketball by her family: “I grew up around basketball because my mom played, and my sister who’s six years older than me was playing basketball my entire life.” She truly enjoys her position on the team. 

Lucky is set apart from the crowd by her deep love for basketball. “I have passion for [basketball]; I care about it very much,” she says, and she plans to play through all of high school. She is “looking forward to seeing my team grow and seeing how we’re doing. We’re already on a really big step.” The team has had a great start to their season beating Reynolds 63 - 9 in their first league game. This big win placed Sandy High School’s girls varsity basketball team in first place in the 6A Mt. Hood League. 

“We’re going to be the underdogs this year. We kind of already are. We’re showing up against teams that we haven’t normally shown up against. I’m excited to see how we all grow together,” Lucky said. 

Although she’s prepared to focus on her future whether it includes basketball or not, Lucky hopes she can play in college one day. Despite only being a freshman, she has big plans of working in sports medicine or pursuing some career involving nature. This focus only makes her a better basketball player. In addition to focus and passion, she possesses solid determination. She “will drive until I die and push until I can’t push anymore,” Lucky said. “It’s really hard for me to give up.” 

As a freshmen, Lucky faced nerves coming into the high school basketball program, but she has utilized these nerves to make her a better player. She struggled with the transition between middle school and high school problems, as she went from the oldest to the youngest one on her teams. “It was really different having girls over me that I look up to and need to compete with,” Lucky said. Before high school, she played as the point guard; now she is the backup point guard. She’s not upset by this, however – it only makes her more determined to succeed in the future and “step up my game.” 

Lucky recalls being extremely nervous at her first high school game over the summer. “I was just a swing because they needed another girl, and I actually got playing time,” she said. Despite her nerves, she would never let anything get in the way of her love for the game.

“[The court’s] my spot to lock in. I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Obviously, you’re gonna mess up every so often and beat yourself up for it, but it’s where I get a lot of my growth,” Lucky said. She feels grateful for the community and growth that basketball has given her. Though she is too humble to admit it, she will be an extreme asset to the team over the four years of her career. She doesn’t play basketball for her achievements or popularity; she says the court is “just a spot where I want to be.”