Neenah Rockets soon to be senior basketball player Allie Ziebell has racked up the accolades.
Wisconsin Gatorade player of the year.
She has the most points in the FVA conference history.
She's committed to play at UConn under arguably the greatest coach of all-time, Geno Auriemma and last month, she earned a spot on a team with some of the best in the country.
“Just being one of the people that they hand selected to be there was just an honor itself,” Ziebell said. “Just to be recognized with those high level athletes.”
Last year Allie Ziebell tried out for the Team USA U-19 team. She didn’t make it.
“I just knew I had to go harder in my workouts, do more, practice shooting, just being a better teammate, communicating more,” she said. “Just doing all those things to a higher level and coming back and trying again.”
This year she was one of about 20 players to earn a tryout. They practiced twice a day for four days, before finding out if they made the team.
“In the beginning I was confident, you just have to go in and do what you do,” said Ziebell. “Don’t do anything you’re not used to doing. Just do what you do well at a really high level, if that’s shooting, do that. Play defense, do that. Just have to do the little things you’re good at and stick to what you do.”
Ziebell made the team. Just one of two soon to be high school seniors to do so.
“It was kind of surreal just hearing your last name, they’ll call out your last name if you make it,” she said of being selected. “Just that moment was really cool."
Everyone else on the team will be playing in college next year, or has already played a year of NCAA ball.
“It was really cool, just getting to talk to the college girls there and the level of physicality is so much different, because they had college experience already and been through those workouts,” she said. “Just learning from them, talking to them and seeing what they think – just super cool to learn from.”
It’s not just an honor for Ziebell to make the team, but to also represent her country.
“It’s huge, I mean, just when you’re able to see like you’re going to be wearing USA across your chest – It’s honestly surreal. There’s nothing that can describe something like that,” Ziebell said.
Ziebell will be leaving the United States for the first time in her life to go compete with the U19 National team at the 2023 FIBA world cup in Madrid, Spain July 15-23.
