One of Miranda Weber’s best skill on the basketball court isn’t flashy. It can even go unnoticed, if you’re not looking for it.
But Glenbrook North senior guard Ilana Malman appreciates it. She has spent the last three years playing alongside Weber on the Spartans girls basketball team, and Weber’s shot — a soft, accurate jumper that almost always seems to get a good roll when it hits the rim — has been a constant during that time.
“Her shot is very pretty,” Malman said. “[Her shots] pretty much always go in in practice, too.”
Although that’s true, Weber has only expanded her range this season. The large majority of her shots were taken from short range earlier in her career.
Weber’s form has been fundamentally sound throughout her three years on varsity, but it took work during the offseason to develop the confidence needed to extend her range.
Weber said that offseason sessions with her father, long-time Glenbrook North boys basketball coach Dave Weber, were especially helpful. In addition to the Spartans’ two-and-a-half hour summer practices, there were times when the Webers would return to Glenbrook North on the weekend. They would go to the back gym at Glenbrook North, Miranda Weber said, and she would shoot while her dad rebounded.
“[Taking mid-range jumpers] was definitely out of my comfort zone, so I was a little hesitant to shoot more of them,” Miranda Weber said. “Now, if I get the ball and I’m open, I’ll shoot it.”
The time Miranda Weber has spent working on her jump shot shows. It has good arc and a lot of back spin.
“She has excellent shot form, and does a really nice job of guiding the ball into the basket from close range,” Glenbrook North coach Danielle Fluegge said. “Actually, we wish she would shoot from the outside [more]. She can hit the 3-ball as well as the rest of [her teammates], but she’s a little shy to do it. If you leave her out there, she’ll hit it.”
Miranda Weber’s shot has been one aspect of her extremely productive senior season. She was averaging 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, entering this week.
Miranda Weber has elevated her play this year, Fluegge added.
The Spartans went 2-2 at the St. Viator holiday tournament, where Miranda Weber was an all-tournament selection. She scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the third-place game, which Glenbrook North lost 67-66 to Harvest Christian.
Miranda Weber’s importance to Glenbrook North was once again evident in the Spartans’ game against Maine East on Friday, Jan. 8. She finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in Glenbrook North’s 43-40 victory, but her stats didn’t tell the entire story.
Miranda Weber created open shots for her teammates. She and sophomore center Samm Carsello also played very well off of each other. They combined to exploit Maine East’s weakness, which is its lack of size. Carsello finished with 10 points and eight rebounds that night.
Miranda Weber was an efficient 5-for-7 from the field. She got a favorable roll multiple times against the Blue Demons and helped her team win the game.
“I think her teammates have been looking at her as a leader, and looking at her as kind of our go-to player,” Fluegge said. “Miranda has a sense of calmness about her. The pressure doesn’t rattle her. … She just goes out there and gets the job done.”
Eric Van Dril is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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