Sidney DeVoogd is a 17-year-old Senior student-athlete at John. F Kennedy Memorial High School. DeVoogd is well achieved on the basketball court as well as the classroom with her grades. Staff from the Torch went out to interview Devoogd, and this is how it went.

How long have you been playing basketball?

I would say probably about 11 years almost, since I was able to walk pretty much. I grew up in a basketball family.

Your dad is the coach of the boys team. What kind of advice has he given you to succeed?

I feel like his thing has always been play your game, worry about your own game. You can control yourself basically; you can’t control the other team, can’t control your team, so you need to kind of just focus on your own game and play your hardest.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about girls basketball?

That it’s not as intense as a boys game, because I feel like a lot of people are ‘wowed’ because their sheer athleticism is better. I think if you compare the both, girls tend to be a lot more strategy based, if that makes sense. They have more plays and tend to let it play out, as guys tend to muscle their way through.

On Feb. 6, 2023, you became one of five female players to have scored 1,000 + points in JFK history. How did you score the majority of your points?

A lot of my points, easily, 90% of them came from layups around the basket and put-backs from rebounds, because I’m in the paint most of the time.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I’m still not too sure, to be honest. Right now, I think I am leaning towards either Valley Community College or Middlesex, and if I attend one of those, I think I’ll continue to play basketball or volleyball, or maybe both. I’m looking at a couple other schools, 4-year-schools to play basketball.

Do you see basketball being a part of your life past high school?

I want it to be because it’s just been a big part of my life this far, and I don’t think I’m ready to totally drop it. Whether that be playing in college or coaching one day. I think I’d like to explore that option. No matter what, I don’t think I’m ready to let go of it.