Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Sela Klein, New Trier basketball

Sela Klein is a senior wing for the Trevians and the team’s leading scorer. Klein recently announced she will play for Brown University next season.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I actually have a lot of them. I think my most significant one is I listen to the same playlist every single time at least an hour before the game. I’m not really sure why. It’s something I’ve done for a long time. I just put my headphones on and get locked in.

I also put my shoes and ankle bracelets on right to left every single time.

2. You recently committed to Brown. How does it feel?

I’m super excited about it. It feels so good. The recruiting process is so grueling. I am happy I stuck it out because I couldn’t have ended up at a better school for me. Although the process was hard, I can’t imagine what life would have been like if I decided not to play.

3. Why is Brown the right fit for you?

I went on campus two weeks ago and thought, ‘This is the place for me.’ … I love the coaching staff so much; they were one of the highlights of my visit. They were so welcoming. They really showed me all Brown has to offer academically and athletically. Academics, I couldn’t do any better than that, and the team is so good and girls are so good. They made me feel like they really, really wanted me. It was one of the key reasons for choosing their school.

4. What is your dream job?

I would love to be a surgeon, but I honestly couldn’t last another eight years of school. If I didn’t have to go through eight years, I would definitely be a surgeon. It would be so rewarding and you think on your feet and you have to have a lot of guts to do that job.

5. What is your favorite thing to do off the court?

I really love to hang out with my friends and we really like to bake in my friend group. Every time we hang out we always end up at Jewel-Osco and buy a cake and some frosting and whip that up and watch a movie. I can’t complain. I love a good confetti cake.

6. Do you have a favorite athlete?

I do. I saw her playing last night: Ms. Caitlin Clark (University of Iowa basketball). Obviously I’ve been following her for a really long time. I saw the Michigan State game over winter break when she hit the game-wining three. So cool. My younger sister, Liesel who also plays basketball like her. My mom is from Iowa, so it’s one of the schools we really root for. We love her in our household.

7. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

I always really wanted to play volleyball. I played in grade school and wasn’t terrible, but I never got into club. When I got into high school, I was too scared to try out because all the girls were already so good. Now that I’m here, I really wish I at least tried out freshman year.

8. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?
Ghirardelli chocolate squares, the caramel ones. That or twin snakes — gummy snakes, one is sour and one is sweet. I always eat the sweet one first. They are very entertaining to eat in a weird way.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I am a very avid movie watcher. I watch at least two or three movies a week. It’s really weird. I’ve basically seen every movie on Netflix. A lot of horror movies. No one wants to watch with me. I usually end up watching alone.

10. How do you and this team want to finish the season?

We are like shooting for winning the regional final. I have not won a regional final in my team here. It’s something I really want to do before I graduate. This year might be our year. All our conference is really even right now. All of us have a couple wins and a couple losses. Honestly I think it will be a good year to watch the regional final and we want to win. That’s where our team is specifically.

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