On and off the basketball court there are many players who have a positive vibe and are greatly influential as a teammate; one of those people would be Junior Ellie Maldonado.
As a varsity player, she has taken on several responsibilities in the program.  She mentors younger players and shows her involvement in the team every open gym, practice and game.
“When [Maldonado] sees someone having trouble with something, she helps them to solve their problem, and it helps the team as a whole when she does little things for her team,” said Junior Varsity Basketball Manager Lizeth Mora.

Maldonado has been playing basketball for five years now since she started in seventh grade at Carl Sandburg Middle School. Now that this season is underway, she looks forward to what it may hold for the team.
“What I look forward to this season is the outcome of our hard work to see how far we get applying everything we learned during our practices and open gyms,” said Maldonado.
When Maldonado is on the court, she attempts to stay strong for the team and is very invested in the game. When she’s off the court, she shows the same drive while with friends and teammates.
“[Maldonado’s] like my life coach, and whenever I have a problem with something, she always comes up with a solution,” said Mora.
She is known for having a positive attitude toward goals and achievements, which serves as a leadership example for the younger athletes.
“[Maldonado] is always happy, so whoever she has around her will be in a positive mood,” said Mora.

With such a positive attitude, Maldonado grows as a player and a person while she finds enjoyment in her school experience.

“Everyone’s different; it’s like even considering how small our school is, there are so many different types of people or lifestyles,” she said. “Our high school is very diverse, and being able to get to know and learn from others has to be my favorite part about going to school every day.”

On her team she has a majority of seniors, which means that this year will be the last for a large group on the varsity team.

“[I want to] enjoy [the seniors] while they’re around before they graduate….[because] we’re going to have to be them next year, so [I] try and look up to them and learn from their leadership,” she said.

Some of this team closeness comes from time the team spends together outside of school.

“We are very close [as a team], even as a program, like most of my friends all play basketball– well, at least my close friends do, and I also think we are very committed and that comes along with being in a team,” said Maldonado.

The team members are always influencing each other to be persistent and driven within the sport.

“The benefit of having mostly seniors on the team is they set a good example of leadership with experience and determination,” said Maldonado.

Even with a positive attitude at school, at the end of the day, she continues being a leader for her team.

“Leadership is a big part of our team because we all have to be responsible for our actions to represent the program,” said Maldonado.

While Maldonado makes a difference on the court, she has a different idea of success than most. Her success comes from happiness.

“Success to me means being happy, like genuinely happy with what you have, what you are doing and the choices you make; that’s what I define as success– happiness,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado is known for being a team player, a hard worker and a positive contributor to the team morale.

Said Maldonado, “At the end of the day, you just have to do what you can because most things aren’t permanent, and everything always works out just fine.”