Athlete of the Week: Chloe Roach

Women’s basketball guard Chloe Roach (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora) has been placed in the midst of a young team, but has showed her talent in her early career. Roach has been a force on the court, scoring 19 points in a 68-44 victory over Penn-State Harrisburg and 13 points in her first ODAC game, a 73-64 loss to Emory and Henry College. She scored 20 in her first collegiate game, a loss to nationally-ranked Christopher Newport.

“I was really nervous before the first game, but after the first few minutes of the game I calmed down and I just told myself it’s just a basketball game like you have played before,” Roach said on playing her first game.

The Eastern Mennonite freshman has eased nicely into the college ball, ranking fourth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in scoring at 17.3 points per game.

“Chloe has made a tremendous impact on our team in several areas,” said Coach Kevin Griffin. “She brings energy, athleticism, talent, and a calming presence for her team when she’s on the floor.”

It is a big adjustment for nearly every athlete to transition into college athletics, but Chloe has made the transition look smooth despite immediately being put into a high-minute role.

“The transition for her in some ways has been easy, in other ways tough, because she is surrounded by such a young group,” Coach Griffin added. “Chloe did not have the luxury of coming in and joining a veteran group and finding her way, she was just thrown into the fire and asked to be contributor immediately.”

“The transition to college athletics has been different and it took some getting used to because it is more time-consuming than high school,” Chloe explained. “The game is faster and the practices are more intense than in high school. The speed of the first few games was a lot faster than the games in high school and the girls are a lot stronger and bigger.My biggest challenge is balancing studying, basketball and hanging out and using my time in between classes wisely because in high school it was class after class but now I have gaps in between classes.”

With her entire career in front of her, Roach looks to continue the smooth transition in her freshman year and keep improving. With the experience from this young season, all eyes will be on Roach and this freshman class to start a new era for the Royals.

“She has a laid back demeanor about her most of the time,” Coach Griffin added. “But make no mistake, Chloe is a competitor and I love the effort she has brought to our games. She has a chance to be special.”