Chelsea Kouri is this week’s Athlete of the Week after helping Clarkston’s girls basketball team to wins over Davison on Oct. 4 and Pontiac Northern on Oct. 6. Kouri averaged 17.5 points per game in the Wolves recent victories.
As a junior, Kouri has taken over as Clarkston’s primary option on the offensive end, a role she has stepped into gracefully.
‘She’s such a good shooter and we want to make sure she’s in a position to shoot the ball and score. We’ve stressed from day one she needs to shoot the ball with confidence. If she misses, she has to keep shooting the ball. She’s been doing a great job of shooting the ball confidently,? Coach Tim Wasilk said.
Her prominent role in the offense has led to extra defensive attention as well, but Kouri knows what is coming when she steps on the floor.
‘I come into games thinking I am going to get more attention,? said Kouri, who added she might start putting the ball on the floor if opponents started to key too much on her jump shot.
Kouri owes some thanks for her offensive chops to her older sister Jill. The two siblings played together on the varsity team last year when Jill was a senior, but started out playing in the family’s driveway when Chelsea was in third grade.
‘Playing against her was really important. She’s more of a defensive player, so playing against her really helped my offense,? said Kouri, who talks to her sister after games from time to time.
Chelsea began playing organized basketball in the fifth grade. The sport is Kouri’s alpha and omega, but she also plays AAU basketball in Clarkston’s off-season.
In Kouri’s life off the hardcourt, she enjoys attending Clarkston football games on Friday nights and going to the movies with her friends. Her favorite subject in school is math.
While she knows she would like to pursue a degree in physical therapy, she has not begun to seriously look into what college she would like attend.
Kouri has lived in Clarkston since she was in kindergarten. She lives with her father, John; mother Jill; and brother, Shane. Aside from her older sister Jill, Chelsea also has an older brother, Chad.