Navy center Kate Hobbs and University of Maryland, Baltimore County forward Sharri Rohde are both expected to be leaders on their basketball teams this season.
Navy coach Tom Marryott said Hobbs, a senior captain, has been a hard-nosed team player who plays with passion. He expects more of the same this season after the Midshipmen finished the 2005-06 campaign at 14-14.
UMBC coach Phil Stern holds Rohde in similar regard, calling her “the toughest competitor I?ve coached.” She has started all 84 games of her college career, rarely stepping off the court. Rohde?s performance will go a long way in helping the Retrievers build on last year?s 15-13 mark, the team?s first winning record in 12 years.
No matter what Hobbs and Rohde accomplish this season, their basketball careers are likely over after March. While they will be done making a difference on the court, though, their lives helping people off of it will have just begun.
Hobbs and Rohde have no intention of just sitting behind a desk pushing papers or working on a computer after graduation. They both want to serve in careers that keep them active and allow them to help others.
For Hobbs, that process started this summer when she spent part of it exploring possible career paths. She spent a few weeks taking an aviation cruise that included her first flight. She also jumped at the chance to intern at Bethesda Naval Hospital. There, she experienced everything from observing surgeries to helping deliver babies.
Becoming a doctor would allow her to accomplish a lifelong goal. But she has yet to decide whether she wants to enroll in medical school right out of the academy or wait a few years.
“Spending so many days in the hospital was an amazing experience,” said Hobbs, who either wants to become a surgeon or go into pediatrics. “I got to speak with a lot of patients who really opened up to me. I really got to delve into every aspect of the medical field. Those experiences made me want to go into the field even more now.”
Rohde, a 5-foot-11 forward from Indianapolis, is majoring in psychology with a planned minor in pre-nursing. She in planning on exploring career options in that field in the near future.
“I?m the type of person who needs to remain active,” said Rohde, who earned second-team all-America East Conference honors last year. “I really want to work in a field where I can help people and make an impact on someone?s life.”
Stern said Rohde is the type of person who has the work ethic to accomplish anything she sets out to do, whether it is on or off the basketball court.
“Sharri is not the most physically gifted or talented player,” Stern said, “but she has worked extremely hard and that has translated to her making herself into an all-conference player.”
Ron Snyder is a staff writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected].
