Senior Charlie Engelberg is a captain for the Varsity Basketball team and the starting goalkeeper for the Varsity Soccer team. Charlie talks about Indiana basketball, what it’s like to be a captain, breaking his finger, handshakes, and more.
When did you start playing basketball? What motivated you to continue with it?
“I started playing when I was four. My dad was watching an Indiana Hoosiers game in his man-cave, and I thought it was super cool. Then he took me outside and I dribbled for the first time. I thought it was a great sport and I really liked it. I always loved competition, so it made sense for me that I would love the sport. I’m a big Indiana fan, so growing up I watched players like Victor Oladipo and OG Anunoby who inspired my love for the game.”
How did you feel when you got voted as a captain?
“It feels pretty good. It’s always good to know that your team trusts you and that gave me an incentive to lead the team while I was injured and still be focused, and it really kept me motivated. It’s a big honor for sure.”
How does this year differ for you compared to last year?
“I’m ready to have a bigger impact on the team this year. Obviously, it’s my senior year, so I want to make the most out of it. Last year, I had the opportunity to play with some great players that I tried my best to learn from. I’m hoping this year I can be one of those guys that people can rely on for advice. I’m looking forward to being able to help the team however I can.”
What lessons did you learn from winning the conference with the soccer team? Can you apply those to the basketball season?
“Winning conference with the soccer team was honestly not something I expected to happen, but our team just got along so well and played so well together. That helped me realize that team chemistry is truly an important thing. If your team gets along and is all having fun, you always have a chance at being great.”
How did you deal with your recovery from a broken finger that you suffered before the season?
“When it happened, I was kind of in shock. The first few weeks it was really tough, watching and not being able to play, but I did my best to impact our team in other ways. I tried to help out the younger guys, especially because they’re new to the team and there are a lot of things that I can see from the sideline, when I’m not on the court. I feel like it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I feel like watching the game helped me get better as a player, so there were some silver linings to it as well.”
What are ways that you try to lead/motivate the players?
“I try to create competition at practice every day, so that we can simulate it just like a game. If everyone plays in practice as hard as if it were a game, then it usually goes well for us. We can tell when we have a good practice or a bad practice, so I feel like when the energy is not there, I just try to create some however I can.”
How do you keep morale up after tough losses?
“Just being able to move on to the next game. Part of being a good athlete is having a short term memory, no matter what. That goes for any sport, for anybody. It’s important to let the team know that we have 31 games in a season. One game isn’t going to define the season. We just have to take whatever lessons we can from each game, win or loss, and get better.”
What is some advice that you would give to younger players?
“Focus on the little details. Playing good defense, limiting turnovers, and hustling are the things that will get you on the court. Also, just listen to your coaches. Sometimes, young players think that their coaches try to change the way they play or that they can’t succeed without getting the ball every play, but you have to do your best to fit in with the system. Once you realize that, you start figuring things out, and you start playing as a team. Teams go from good to great when everyone’s on the same page.”
Do you have a favorite handshake that you do during the starting line up?
“My favorite handshake…that’s a tough question. Probably Charlie Markee’s handshake in the Libertyville game, where he shot an arrow into the crowd and everyone fell down. That was a pretty cool moment. We talked about it before the game, but I don’t know if we’re going to continue that or not. Hopefully we have a big enough student section to keep doing that, because it’s really fun when we have a crowd.”
