Kaitlin Loria ‘27 is a freshman with a great deal of skills. So far, in her freshman career she has been a varsity starter in basketball and a key player on the varsity volleyball team. She had 63 kills in her first season and 29 blocks. Only a few games into the basketball season, Loria has 84 points and 50 rebounds. But before she can even play her game, she has a very specific pregame ritual.
“I wear the same hair tie every game. When I’m putting on my shoes I always do the left foot and then the right foot. I also always have my OS14 bracelet in my bag, so if I don’t, I play badly,” Loria said. “With volleyball, if I don’t have my hair braided, I play badly. If I do have my hair braided for basketball I play badly.”
Since Loria has only been playing at City for 5 months, she has had to adjust to high school standards and the responsibilities. However, her teammates seem to have been great about helping her out.
“From right off the bat, I felt very welcomed. These girls are amazing, and they know that it’s my first year playing varsity basketball and I’ve been put in a position that most girls don’t get the opportunity to be in,” Loria said.
As well as being an extremely skilled player, Loria also understands that mentality in sports is very important.
“Basketball is 90% mentality and 10% skill,” Loria said. “You can be the worst player on the court but have the best mentality and score the most points, because that can translate into you being the best player on the court. But if you have a bad mentality and you just aren’t really there mentally, you’re not gonna play great because you’re thinking about not playing good, and then it’s as if you’re putting it into the universe.”
Loria’s biggest role models for basketball are her dad and Paige Bueckers, a point guard for UConn Women’s Basketball.
“My dad has always been my number one supporter. He’s always willing to watch film with me, go to the gym with me, and help me work out. He always likes to make sure that I’m in a good mental state before a game and then after a game if I played bad, and even if I played good, that I’m still in a good mental state,” Loria said. “Paige Bueckers is also an amazing basketball player and I want to be just like her. She has such a good mental game, and she doesn’t get down on herself even though she’s had many injuries. She’s definitely one of the best basketball players out there.”
Her biggest goals for the season are to improve and for her team to be able to go to Wells Fargo Arena for state, and win.
“My biggest piece of advice is one thing that my dad always tells me to do, and he has said this to me since day one of starting a sport: ‘just move on’,” Loria said. “I know it sounds so simple, but especially for freshmen, if you make a mistake, say to yourself, ‘move on.’ That’s the only way that I lasted through the volleyball season. And that’s the only way that I’m gonna make it through the basketball season.”
Be sure to check Loria and the rest of her team out at the next basketball games, especially the double headers against rival schools, Iowa City West and Liberty.
