Jeannette's Sirnic returns to the court after a rough year
Olivia Sirnic, a junior at Jeannette High School, is glad to be back on the hardwood this winter.
Last year, Sirnic missed the season because of her grades.
“I had to bring up my grades,” Sirnic said. “I'm working on that harder this year to make sure (it doesn't happen again).”
It was a tough year for her, but maybe it had a good result — she's motivated to make sure it doesn't happen again.
“To sit out, I didn't like it at all. It was a bad feeling,” she said. “It was a motivation for me to do better in class and get back on the court to play with the team.”
She's been playing basketball since she was about 6. She was living in Indiana — the Hoosier state — and got started playing at the YMCA and with the Boys and Girls Club.
She spent a lot of time watching her big brother, Orlando Morgan, play and it was something they liked to do in their free time.
“I just like playing (basketball) and it helps me if I'm stressed out or something, it helps me get my mind right. It makes me feel better.”
She plays point guard/guard and sometimes, she plays “big man” at center. Sirnic prefers point guard, because she gets to lead on the court, making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing and calling out the plays.
“It makes me feel good to lead everyone else on the court, even with the younger kids,” she said. “It's just more motivation, because the team needs me.”
Head Coach Janine Vertacnik returns to Jeannette this year and though Sirnic has seen a few coaches come and go during her high school years, she's on board with Vertacnik's methods.
“She's a really good coach. She pushes us more and teaches us more and everyone is just getting way better from where we started in open gym over the summer,” said Sirnic.
This year's team is like a family to Sirnic. She said they all feel like sisters.
“As a team, working together, we just know how to play,” she said. “It's early in the season, but everything will just connect in the middle of the season and we'll just keep getting better.”
The goal is to make the playoffs this year.
After high school, Sirnic hopes to go to college and play basketball.
She's considering studying criminal justice and might want to become a police officer.
“If I didn't make it anywhere in basketball, I want to become a cop or something in that field. There's so much in the field. My uncle just became a cop, I just like stuff like that and he tells me about it all the time and I'm just so interested in it.”
She's also giving serious thought to enlisting in the Army or Navy and playing sports while serving the country.
Sirnic's always liked working out, ever since she was young.
“It's something I've done since I was younger. I like the way it feels, the way it makes my body feel, like I got all this stress off my shoulder.”
Sirnic is the daughter of Crystal Sirnic.
Kristie Linden is an editor for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at klinden@tribweb.com or 724-838-5154.
