It seemed odd to see Reeths-Puffer’s all-season standout Sophia Hekkema go through a lower-energy phase.
Energy had never been a problem for Hekkema, a senior who has spent her entire high school career playing volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and soccer in the spring.
Not only does she play all of those sports back-to-back-to-back every year, she plays them all very well. She is a two-time All-State selection in soccer, was honorable mention All-State last year in basketball, and has been All-Conference in everything.
Last summer and into the fall, however, Hekkema wasn’t feeling like herself, and a visit to the doctor revealed she was suffering from Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and high anxiety.
Those are conditions that can be managed, of course, but for Hekkema it took some time to adjust.
R-P senior Sophia Hekkema
She went through a period when that old fire wasn’t burning quite so bright. She was still very good – Hekkema is never bad – but the spring in her step wasn’t quite the same.
“I had those problems going on mentally and physically,” Hekkema said. “There were a lot of ups and downs with medication. I really couldn’t figure out which of them were right for me and which ones would work. There was a lot of trial and error.
“I really wasn’t myself for a while. It took some time to get back in the groove.”
At the end of the day, however, Hekkema is a competitor, and there’s nothing like the scent of a possible championship to bring out the best in her game.
Hekkema has been on fire in recent weeks, playing a key role for the R-P girls basketball team, which is riding a 12-game winning streak and is close to capturing the O-K Green conference championship.
Hekkema lets a shot fly earlier this season.
She’s had a lot of big games lately, starting with an 18-point performance against archrival Mona Shores on Jan. 24. She also pumped in 22 points in a win over Wyoming and 24 in a victory over Grand Rapids Union.
Her most dramatic performances have come in the biggest games so far, against Muskegon on Feb. 3 and Zeeland West last Friday.
The Rockets trailed Muskegon by 10 points with six minutes left in the game, but exploded down the stretch to claim a 56-52 victory and pull into a tie with the Big Reds for first place in the conference.
Hekkema played a huge role in the comeback, scoring 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, including eight from the free throw line.
The big win avenged an earlier loss to Muskegon, and clearly sparked something in Hekkema.
Hekkema, Coach Rodney Walker and teammates cheer the girls on the court.
“That was amazing,” she said after the game. “That was the most fun I’ve had playing basketball in a while. That win was huge for us.”
Hekkema had a repeat performance on Friday in another exciting comeback win, 45-34 on the road at Zeeland West.
She hit another eight free throws in the fourth quarter and added four huge steals down the stretch to help seal up yet another victory.
“My dad is always saying that I need to play the first, second and third quarters like I play in the fourth,” Hekkema said. “He says he doesn’t know why I always wait until the fourth quarter!”
Hekkema chuckles when asked about her recent clutch free throw shooting, something that hasn’t always been a strong point.
Hekkema works around a defender on her way to the bucket.
“I used to be horrible at free throws,” she said. “I never knew where they were going to go. But now I have a system down. I take a deep breath, exhale and calm myself down before I shoot, and now it’s just a matter of muscle memory.”
R-P Coach Rodney Walker admitted that the early part of the season was tough when Hekkema was feeling under the weather.
“I think the girls on the team did a great job of understanding the situation and were doing their best to support her any way they could,” he said.
Walker also said having Hekkema at full speed over the past few weeks has been a huge plus.
“You can’t teach certain things,” the coach said. “You can’t teach a motor. She just never stops. She plays the entire game at the same speed, which is something any coach would love to have. She gives her all on every single play.”
Hekkema battles for a rebound.
The Rockets have two regular season games left, both in the conference. They have a really big rematch on Tuesday at Mona Shores, then a home game on Friday against Holland. A win over the Sailors would guarantee at least a share of the O-K Green championship, and two victories would give the Rockets the title all to themselves after sharing it with Mona Shores last season.
Hekkema admits that all the winning has kicked her competitive fire back into high gear.
“Especially since we’ve had this winning streak, it’s like every game you have that feeling,” Hekkema said. "I love going through this with my teammates. We think we can do whatever we put our minds to. Basketball has been a lot of fun lately.”
Hekkema said she was also charged up by a message she received from Coach Walker a few weeks ago, telling her that she and fellow senior Ariel Walker were both closing in on the career 1,000-point mark.
“We were at like seven straight wins, we were starting to really play well, then Coach Walker texted me saying that I was at 935 points and Ariel was at 925,” Hekkema said. “I just thought, wow, we could really both get to 1,000. I think I’m 38 points away now and Ariel is not far behind me. That was like a huge motivator for me.”
Hekkema drives past a defender for a layup.
Hekkema said she’s been playing soccer since she was three, basketball since the second grade and volleyball since the sixth grade.
While most people marvel at her ability to play all three sports, back-to-back, every year, she said it has come pretty natural for her.
“When I got to high school, I realized I was pretty good at all of them, and it’s fun when you’re good at a sport and your teammates are there for you,” she said. “Having a successful team makes it even more exciting.”
Hekkema said she’s been impacted for a long time by various symptoms from her medical conditions, and sports have always provided an escape.
“That’s why I love playing sports and being active – it takes my mind away from those things,” she said.
Hekkema brings the ball up the court for the Rockets.
Hekkema is excited about the rest of the basketball season – she believes her team could go a long way in the Division 1 state tournament – as well as the coming soccer season.
Surprisingly, however, she does not think she’s going to play college sports, at least during her freshman year.
She has several athletic scholarship offers, both for basketball, but she’s ready to put it all aside and just focus on academics in college.
“I just took a big step back and looked at what I really wanted,” Hekkema said. “I decided I don’t want to play college sports. I just think that’s what’s best for me with my diagnosis. I just want to calm down and focus on school and life and doing normal things. I think I can see myself being a lot happier.
“I could go to college for one year and say I miss sports and then go play again. I will just kind of take it one step at a time.”
