On game day, before junior guard Brooke Carlson and her Batavia teammates hit the court, there’s still something else that needs to be done.
The pregame TikTok has to be posted before tipoff.
“I just have fun doing it,” Carlson said. “It’s always me and someone from the team, and we’ll make a pregame one. It gives us some energy. We like dancing before the game.
“We may not be the best at it, but we have fun.”
While the Bulldogs might not be the best dancers, they were fun to watch on the floor led by Carlson, the 2023 Beacon-News/Courier-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Already an established star, Carlson took the next step this season. The all-state choice and DuKane Conference’s player of the year averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 steals.
She said a big part of her development was knowing when to go her customary 100 mph and when to back off the throttle and let the game come to her.
“My trainer would say, you drive so hard, you have to change it up,” Carlson said. “That’s what I worked on a lot. I really think it carried into the season.
“It was just cool to see it all work out.”
Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said that’s what stands out the most about Carlson.
“She’s smart on the court,” Jensen said. “The place where she’s grown and will continue to, she’s gotten so much more under control. Her pace and tempo have improved.
“She knew one speed. She can still go at that speed, but her tempo has improved. She makes the right play. She’s found teammates so well that everybody realized if she gets better, everyone gets better.
“It’s fun to see all of that happen.”
That improvement helped the 5-foot-6 guard garner several Division I offers. Her recruiting stagnated as the season went on, however.
To help kick-start that process and provide her with elite training and competition, Carlson switched AAU teams this offseason.
Carlson joined Kentucky Premier, which has produced five McDonald’s All-Americans and three WNBA players in the past 12 years.
“It should be a really exciting opportunity for me,” Carlson said. “I feel like it will help with my recruitment a lot. I think it will be fun to get that exposure.
“It’s almost like playing in college. You have to earn your spot. You’re playing with a bunch of amazing players.”
It will give Carlson a chance to put her game up against other elite players on a national level. Sometimes, Jensen believes that’s all colleges need to see in order to start paying closer attention.
“I think it could get interesting this spring and summer,” Jensen said. “She has some Power Five-level teammates on her new team.
“Give her a chance. I’m biased, but I think she belongs with anybody. It’s so hard to predict where all these things fall. She’s going to have great paths no matter what.”
Before fully committing to her AAU basketball team, however, Carlson is suiting up this spring for Batavia in soccer.
“I’ve been playing soccer all my life, and I love the girls and I love the sport,” Carlson said. “It also keeps me in shape. I have some conflicts, but (coach Mark Gianfrancesco) understands, so we figure it out.”
Carlson has one more run left next season in basketball with the Bulldogs, though. Only two seniors graduate, and personally, 2,000 career points are in her sights.
“We’re so excited,” Carlson said. “We’re talking about it already. We have big plans for next season. Our goals are high and we want to accomplish them.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.