A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Highlands’ Jocelyn Bielak

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, December 11, 2023 | 2:27 PM

Highlands forward Jocelyn Bielak quietly has become a leader on a team striving to bring home a section title for the first time in 48 years.

“She is a joy to coach. Her work ethic and commitment to improve is on an extremely high level,” coach Shawn Bennis said. “She rebounds for us, scores for us, defends for us, communicates very well, and she continues to work on all of those things. She has truly become an all-around player.”

Bielak also has a calmness that makes her a steady influence, and she’s glad her teammates look to her when things get a little rocky.

“I just want to do my best to help the team, and if that’s by maintaining a calm presence, then I want to keep doing it,” Bielak said.

“She leads with positive words and actions, and she plays and carries herself with a calm demeanor,” Bennis said. “It’s something the kids gravitate towards and why they look to her as a leader.”

An example of Bielak’s positivity is the way she lifts up her teammates on the court.

“If something doesn’t go right, they may be down on themselves or lack confidence,” Bennis said. “Jocelyn will motivate them and is the one that holds them together with her calmness and positivity.”

As her senior season gets started, Bielak took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q-and-A:

What’s it going to take for this team to accomplish its goal and win the section?

All five players on the court, no matter who that is, working together.

What’s it like to play with your talented senior teammates, and how great is it that you’ll all be playing at the next level, albeit for different schools?

We’ve played together and against each other, but it’s just fun to be on the court together. We just kind of know where each other will be on the court. It’s really cool we’ll all be playing at the next level, and it’s hard to believe it’s almost our turn to go to college. It went by too fast.

You say you’ve played against your teammates? When has that occurred?

In middle school, Kalleigh Nerone and I were at Highlands, and Kate Myers and Shelby Wojcik were at Burrell. It’s mostly happened in club basketball or AAU.

What is the strongest part of your game?

Driving and kicking. Getting the ball into the middle and finding my teammates on the perimeter.

What are some of your goals for the season?

I want to get my foul shot percentage up, become a better 3-point shooter, where I’m making at least two 3s a game.

What are some of your hobbies?

Reading. I love to paint and draw. I also love to be outside and hiking.

You’re committed to the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg. What do you plan on studying?

Biology. I might want to do something like environmental engineering.

What’s been one of your favorite high school memories to this point?

My favorite memory was when we beat Knoch the first time in a season. There’s a big rivalry there because my teammate’s sister was on that team. It was just so fun and exciting, and I’ll always remember it.

What are you going to miss about high school basketball?

I’ll miss seeing my family at all my games and definitely will miss my teammates. I will also miss being a basketball player at the same time as my brother, who plays on the boys team.

Do you and your brother give each other tips or help each other when it comes to basketball?

I helped him with his 3s, and he’s definitely helped me out to improve my game.

What is one fact about yourself that would surprise people to learn?

Probably that I love to play video games, especially with my brothers.

What is one piece of advice you’d want to leave your teammates before graduating?

It goes by fast, so enjoy the moment while it’s there and have fun.

Tags: Highlands