by Siobhan Richards
Tying up her red basketball shoes for her first ever varsity high school game, freshman Allura Carney already feels nervous. She may not know it yet, but she will become an influential member of the basketball team.
Carney has been playing basketball since she was in kindergarten. Over the years she has played for Hudson Rec, Hudson Travel, an AAU team called Blaze and now HHS Varsity basketball.
Making varsity as a freshman was a huge accomplishment for her and playing on the team is an even bigger achievement. “I’m not one of the better players on my AAU team, and I don’t play the entire game like I do here. And here I’m a leader, which just feels super accomplishing.”
But since the beginning of the season Carney has become the leading scorer and rebounder for the team. Her best game so far was against Quabbin with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
“She scores in double digits most games. I haven’t done her average yet, but it’s about 10 or 11 points per game. She’s also our best rebounder,” says Varsity Coach Cara Bubin.
Bubin said that from the first try out Allura stood out to her. “I noticed her right away because she is someone who just knew her way around a basketball court. She has great skills and can even dribble the ball.”
She was very impressed with her skills and the dedication she puts into the sport.
“She’s funny because she’s always looking to improve. She and some of her teammates have little competitions for shooting, and she will run extra laps if she has to. Also any downtime we have at practice she’ll go over and start shooting. She just utilizes every minute of practice,” says Bubin.
Aside from playing on the varsity team, Carney also plays for Blaze in the offseason. It is a very competitive AAU basketball team that she was selected to be on. Her team is ranked second in the division, and they practice twice a week with tournaments every weekend. This outside coaching also adds to her skill level and helps her here in Hudson.
“On that team we don’t really work on plays, like here we work on our plays all the time, but on my AAU team he works on skill building. We usually spend half the practice just doing two ball handling drills or cross overs, or even running with two balls. It’s really intense, and we do a lot of shooting and form. They really try to perfect the basics, and it has helped so much,” Carney said.
Coach Bubin is not the only one to notice Carney’s skills. Many have commented on her playing at the end of games. After the Westboro game Jackie Macmullan, who works with ESPN, told Bubin that she had very good potential.
She has become a leader on the team, which is rare for a freshman on a varsity team. She continues to grow and get better throughout the season.
“Right now she’s working on her shot. She’s improved it a lot,” says Bubin. “ Actually in a recent game she hit a three pointer. She’s already good inside and now developing outside.”
As for the rest of her high school career, Coach Bubin already has some plans for Allura.
“She is someone I feel like I can build a team around. The sky’s the limit for her. I think she’ll be captain one day. I think she could play in college, and she will just emerge as a leader for the team in the next couple of years.”
