Senior Carly Whiteside Gets Ready for UVM

Caroline Oakley, Staff Writer

On Monday Nov. 19 Senior Carly Whiteside committed to the University of Vermont for basketball. Whiteside, who is 6’, 2”, has played the sport since third grade, and has loved it ever since. “I was always tall” said Whiteside, explaining how she got into the sport.
Whiteside knew that UVM was the right fit for her due to its strong academics, location, and down-to-earth people.
A set back in Whiteside’s basketball career was when she tore her ACL the summer going into her junior year. Unfortunately, Whiteside had to miss out on all of the basketball season that year, which is “a big year for recruiting, but I was able to find the right school, and everything worked out okay,” said Whiteside. Luckily, Whiteside was able to recover from the injury and is ready to take on this season full force.
Whiteside has been the leading scorer since eighth grade for the girl’s high school basketball team. People may wonder how such a strong athlete was able to reach their high skill level and how they continue to increase it as the years go on. For Whiteside, her method is practice, practice, practice. The usual practice for Whiteside consists working with her teammates on shooting, running the floor, one-on-ones, and whole team offense, but on her days off she is working out on her own alongside a trainer.
The athlete on the court is portrayed differently than the student in the classroom. “I think on the court I’m really serious, but when I’m off the court I like to have fun and be goofy,” said Whiteside.
Teammate Kiara Neiro has been playing with Whiteside for the past seven years, and it was Whiteside who encouraged Neiro to continue her basketball in high school. “She persisted that I played basketball for the high school even though I was not confident that I would even make the team” said Neiro.
Whiteside is an extremely encouraging teammate and a great leader, which is only some of the many reasons why she makes such a great captain, said Neiro.
Whiteside is highly committed to her team, and helps push them to be the best they can be. “She was at every practice and every game last year and she couldn’t even play” said Neiro when explaining Whiteside’s devotion to her team and the sport.
Whiteside is able to find a balance between her athletics, academics, and social life. In the winter Whiteside focuses more on her academics and sport. “During basketball season I don’t really have a social life,” said Whiteside, but luckily she said she has been able to find friends with the same interest as her, who she can workout and watch film with.
Whiteside thanks her parents for the support they have shown her throughout the years, and her AAU coach Heath Teixeira a.k.a. “Noopy” for coaching her the past five years. “He’s been like a mentor to me,” Whiteside explained when describing how her coach has helped shape her into the player she has become.
As Whiteside continues her basketball journey at UVM she will be facing some changes. Whiteside plays as a center in high school, but will be playing as a forward in college. She has also always been known as one of the tallest girls on the court, but once she gets to college that will change. There will be many athletes that are much taller than Whiteside, and the teams won’t look like the ones she is currently facing.
Whiteside said she is looking forward to her years at UVM, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.