When Boubacar Aw took over as head coach of the Hoggard girls basketball team, he knew it would take some time to get the Lady Vikings to a point where they would be able to compete in a conference filled with talent.
Now, just two months into the season, Aw knows he has a player who will be a mainstay in helping develop the program of the next few years.
“Julia Buehler is a natural talent. Although she’s the team’s leading scorer, she does so much more and I’ve been impressed with what she’s been able to do for us. Her skill set is to get to the basket and make things happen.
“We’ve been working on her mindset on the defensive side of the floor. Once she starts to learn that her defense can help her offensive side of the game, she’s going to be a big factor. And she’s only a sophomore. She an all-around athlete and that’s a huge plus,” Aw said.
For Buehler, it’s been an exciting experience to take the reins as one of the standout players for Hoggard. As the sophomore moves through her second year on the varsity level, she knows that while there’s time to sharpen her skills, the time to turn some heads in the area is now.
“It all comes down to practice. We’ve all be working real hard over these last few months and it’s starting to show in the games. I think we’ll have a successful season when it’s all said and done. We’ll definitely give a lot of teams some really good games, even if we can’t always get the win,” Buehler said.
While Buehler is enjoying a breakout year for the Lady Vikings, the entire team has rallied around her over the last few weeks. Individually, the point guard already has some hardware to show off her play after being chosen to the all-tournament team at last month’s Leon Brogden Holiday Tournament. The sophomore averaged 14 points per game during the three-day event that saw Hoggard finish third in the eight-team tournament.
“She shot the lights out in those three days. You couldn’t have asked for a better effort from her and the rest of the team. Our three seniors have been doing a good job of working into the game plan with Julia at the point guard position. She’s a natural scorer and that showed during the three games at UNCW,” Aw said.
The game of basketball was a natural fit for the rising star ever since she could remember. Just like many young athletes, her love and passion for the game comes from watching and playing ball with her dad and family. It was at that point she knew basketball would be something she’d be living and breathing from then on out.
“I started out playing soccer but quickly realized that basketball was going to be the sport for me when I was a kid. The coaches started to draw up set plays for me to get me more shots and that’s when I knew I could play,” Buehler said.
With a mentor who played at the highest collegiate level during his career at Georgetown, the young point guard understands Aw will be able to provide some insight into the game that doesn’t always accompany a high school coach. She plans to continue to utilize that knowledge as the season progresses and as her high school years move forward.
“Coach Aw really pushes us. I like that. He runs hard practices and you can see us improving quickly as result. We are developing more as a team way quicker than we did during my freshman year. Personally, [Aw] continues to work on my game when it comes to defense. Being more aggressive and scrappy are two things he continues to push more towards so I can be a well-rounded player,” Buehler said.
When it comes to the leadership aspect of the team, Buehler doesn’t mind quietly leading by example while some of her older teammates take a more vocal role during the game and in the locker room.
“While Julia may not be the vocal leader on the team yet, she’s a leader by example. She plays extremely hard and I coach her really hard. She’s always the first one to get in the gym and always the last to leave. That kind of work ethic shows. Even on days we don’t practice, she’s always asking me to get the keys to the gym so she can work out.
“When you have a player like Julia, especially as a sophomore, with that kind of mentality, there’s only an upside to what she’ll mean for us as she moves through her years at Hoggard. I’m very proud of what Julia has been able to accomplish so far and I’m excited to see what the future holds for her on the court as we continue to work,” Aw said.
