By Ken Hansard
Carthage High School basketball player and student-athlete Maggie Boyd spoke to VYPE SPORTS in a recent interview.
VYPE SPORTS: What are your personal goals for the year?
Boyd: My personal goals are to focus on improving my game on the offensive end and to build a team culture that will leave our program in a better place next year. I want to be able to say I left it all out on the court my senior season.
VYPE SPORTS: What is your favorite athletic memory?
Boyd: My favorite athletic memory was the Pink and White tournament my freshman year. We ended up getting to play for third place despite our initial rank. Getting to play as the underdogs and succeeding with my best friends was such a great experience.
VYPE SPORTS: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?
Boyd: My former teammate Kianna Yates. She has always been my role model and the player I aspire to be. Ki was quick to encourage each of us to shoot and to remind us how our attitudes could affect the team overall. She’d always throw out phrases like “Shooters shoot!” or she would tell me not to stress over little mistakes. I strive to be like her every time I’m on the court. I try to keep my teammates’ heads up and to stay optimistic even when the game isn’t going our way.
VYPE SPORTS: What is your favorite part of being on this team?
Boyd: The people. I have played basketball with this group of girls since I was in third grade, and they truly are my best friends. We don’t have to speak on the court to know what the others are thinking. We can just look at one another, and we understand. They make me want to work hard for them, so that we will be successful as a group. My team is the definition of what family means.
VYPE SPORTS: What clubs or campus groups are you involved with and why?
Boyd: I am involved in our school’s student council and our National Honor Society. I am a firm believer in being a good leader and person, and both clubs foster these characteristics. The National Honor Society also focuses a lot on academics. I work hard to have good grades, and I believe that school should come before athletics.
VYPE SPORTS: What accolades (in any sport or activity) are you most proud of?
Boyd: My all-defensive team award. I believe that my defense is one of my strongest pieces of my game, and it is nice to be recognized for an intangible quality. Most people only care about the offensive side and the number of points that you put on the board, but the reality is that there are so many bits and pieces that contribute to being able to score on the other end. Good defense and assists lead to other people scoring, and that is what makes a team. You need all types of players to have success.
VYPE SPORTS: What has your sport taught you that you use in your daily life?
Boyd: Hard work. Sports in general have taught me that if I want something, then I am going to have to work for it. It has helped me become a hard worker not only in athletics, but in the classroom as well. I know that you need to put in the work in order to stand out, which is always the goal.
VYPE SPORTS: What is the best advice that anyone has given you?
Boyd: Do the stuff no one else wants to do. I’ve been taught that if I want to stand out and be successful, I have to do the stuff that sucks. I have to stay an extra hour after practice to shoot – even if it means not getting home until 7:00 every night, or maybe it means running the conditioning harder to be in better shape.
VYPE SPORTS: Who inspires you and why?
Boyd: My dad inspires me. He sends me a pregame text before every single game, reminding me to just go out there and play the way I always do. He has taught me to work hard, be kind, and has ultimately made me who I am as an athlete today.
VYPE SPORTS: Here is your chance to give a shoutout or say thank you to anyone you wish.
Boyd: Thank you to my parents and best friends for making this sport so easy for me to enjoy. My parents have always supported me and pushed me to be the best version of myself. They’ve never missed a game or a chance to cheer me on. My teammates / best friends make coming to practice easy. Every part of practice that “sucks” becomes much easier to endure strictly because I am doing it alongside people I love.
