When Suzanne Gilreath suits up for the Fridley girls' basketball team, the opposition usually employs a box-and-one zone defense or sends double-teams in an attempt to slow her down. Those efforts haven't slowed her much this season.
The junior guard set the state's single-season record for three-point baskets last week in a 61-48 loss to St. Croix Lutheran, hitting 122 shots from behind the arc. The previous record of 119 three-pointers was held by Fulda's Courtney Hulstein and New London-Spicer's Taylor Thunstedt.
Gilreath hit the mark after spending nearly every day of last summer working on her shot. When she came home from the gym, Gilreath usually sat in front of her computer and watched countless highlight videos of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. She observed Curry's footwork, including how he ran off of screens, which has helped improve her game.
The junior has scholarship offers from multiple high-major colleges, including Wisconsin. Gilreath spoke with the Star Tribune's Jack Satzinger to discuss breaking the three-pointers record, her college prospects and what she likes to do on the rare occasion she isn't playing basketball.
Q: How's this season gone for you so far?
A: The season's been great. I mean, coming into springtime I want to win. So, I have to do it. It's been great.
Q: You recently set the state record for most three-pointers made in a season. What does that mean to you?
A: It means a lot. I just worked on my shot a lot throughout the summertime. Coming into the gym I worked on that shot and throughout the season I worked on it and just kept shooting. … It means a lot to me. To be a state record-holder is great.
