By Derrick Smith

It takes a lot of work in order to become the best athlete that you can be. You have to be willing to work through whatever may come up. Sofi Woodson says that even when things get tough, you have to work hard and push through and you will grow.

“In order to be successful in anything, you have to have no excuses,” she said. “You have to always work out and keep the grind going even when it gets difficult. While it may seem like quitting would be easier, if you can fight through, you will be a better person for it.”

Woodson is a sophomore at Jones High School. She is a forward on the Lady Longhorns basketball team. She has been around the game of basketball for about as long as she can remember, so it is not surprising that she is as good as she is.

Along with loving the game of basketball, Sofi has some role models that she looks up to as basketball players and as people. 

“Trinity Moore and Tirzah Moore have both had a big influence on my life,” she said. “They are both D1 basketball players at Oral Robert University. I played alongside them at Jones before they graduated. They are amazing basketball players and even better people. They are the people that I want to mirror my game after.”

As a student in the classroom, Woodson has heard many different lessons from many teachers. Out of all of them, she says that there is one that has had the biggest influence on her life. 

“Coach Hall would have to be my favorite teacher,” she said. “He was my middle school basketball coach and also my math teacher. He taught me to become a better basketball player and he had a lot of confidence in me which really helped me.”

During her career, Woodson has made a lot of memories with her teammates, but she says that there is one memory that sticks out as her favorite. 

“I scored a double-double against the OKC Storm,” she recalled. “I had a really solid game, and it is one that I will probably never forget.”