Jonas Ward
Hanna Whitney is a selfless and dedicated student athlete working towards a double major and double minor at SUNY Plattsburgh, and is also on the women’s basketball team.
“I chose to be an accounting major because it has been a field that I have been interested in while growing up,” Whitney said.
Whitney has always loved basketball. Before she attended SUNY Plattsburgh, she had experience playing the game. When she was young, her family embraced her passion for the sport.
“I got into basketball at a very young age,” Whitney said. “My family is a basketball family. My mom coached a girls’ varsity team, and I remember going to the gym with her when I was in elementary school and even before that to help her.”
Due to the pandemic, Whitney’s basketball season has been affected. Whitney was upset about the outcome of her season. She wished there were other options that would allow her to play more.
“The pandemic completely crushed my senior season; we had zero games,” Whitney said. “The feeling that I would not be able to put on a Plattsburgh State Women’s Basketball uniform again was heartbreaking. It didn’t seem real until the long winter break was happening. Luckily, we were able to have a few practices, so at least we got to play with our teammates before graduation in our gym. Although it wasn’t a great way to end, I wouldn’t trade the last three years for anything.”
For Whitney, teamwork is extremely important. She respects her teammates and they look after each other.
“We take pride in building each other up and helping each other when we can,” Whitney said. “I look up to my team because they are hardworking, independent and motivated women. My team looks to me as a person they can trust and look to when they need a helping hand.”
Ben Sarraf, the head of the women’s basketball team, believes Whitney is supportive of her team as a whole. He said Whitney definitely would have been a great player, if the pandemic hadn’t taken her final season away.
“As a senior, she was well liked and her teammates respected what she had to say,” Sarraf said. “She was definitely viewed as a leader, and I would have leaned on her heavily for leadership had we been able to have a full season.”
Sarraf said Whitney is an incredibly good student with a great personality. Sarraf believes Whitney would have had a fantastic season if their games were not canceled.
“By the way she carries herself on and off the court, she has the demeanor of someone who has it all figured out,” Sarraf said. “She transformed from a relatively quiet freshman to an incredibly confident senior, who knows exactly who she is and where she is headed. As a coach, this is the type of career and personal arch you wish all of your players to have in their four years at Plattsburgh.”
