Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with McKenzie Reitmayer

McKenzie Reitmayer is a senior wing for the Giants and the team’s leading scorer. She also played flag football on Highland Park’s first team in the fall.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I would say not any specific rituals but before every game I spend a lot of time listening to music and watching film and visualizing the game and our team have success. 

2. What are your plans for next year?

I’m undecided. I definitely hope to continue to play basketball, like club basketball, and I’m going to major in computer science hopefully. 

3. What is your dream job?

I really want to be a cyber security specialist. My brother (Brandon Bernardi) is studying to be that right now and it sounds cool.

4. What is your favorite thing to do off the court?

Probably just spending time with family and friends doing anything — watching movies, going on walks, whatever really. I just like spending time with family and friends. 

5. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

Maybe volleyball. I played in middle school and really liked it, but I liked basketball more so that’s what I pursued. Being tall was helpful, and it’s another team-oriented sport and that’s really fun.

6. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Definitely Italy. My family is Italian. I would love to go visit. I’m also taking Italian in school so it would be really fun to practice my language skills. 

7. Who is your favorite athlete? 

Maybe Paige Bueckers (Basketball — University of Connecticut). I’ve watched her since in middle school and on Youtube. She’s such an amazing athlete, being able to score at all three levels. She’s definitely one of my favorites.

8. If you are in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

Maybe like a Reese’s (peanut butter cups), barbecue potato chips and a Vitamin Water — I like the lemon one a lot. 

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I really love to read and I read a lot. I try to read 40 books a year. That is something that surprises people when I tell them. It’s fun, like an alternative to watching TV for me. 

10. How do you feel about where your team is at this point in the season?

I feel like we are really good. We’ve improved a ton and are still in position to win our conference. We continue to take one game at a time. I feel confident in my teammates and our abilities to achieve our goals.

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