Norman North’s Monica McCombs – Academic Athlete of the Month Presented by Republic Bank & Trust

By John Tranchina

Monica McCombs is a perfect example of what a highly dedicated athlete can accomplish when they put in the work to improve as a player.

The Norman North senior is starting for the basketball team for the first time this season and contributing in a way that maybe didn’t seem possible in the past couple of years, if not for all the extra effort she put into improving her game.

“Starting out freshman year, I had freshman basketball and I also was on JV, so I had practices on Monday mornings for freshmen, then Monday afternoons for JV, with also varsity, so with that, I’m practicing in the morning and afternoon,” McCombs said of her high school basketball odyssey. “Definitely, freshman year, I had a lot of time on the court to just grow, so that was good. And then sophomore and junior year, I was on varsity but I wasn’t really getting a lot of playing time on the court during real games, so I definitely just had to grow before practice, after practice, get some shots up, practice free throws, go into the gym on Saturdays and Sundays, find a gym to go to, and just put in work whenever some girls might not be.”

 

“So, my senior year now I’m starting, and I think I’m kind of like a testament of a player, if you work hard, then you can definitely achieve what you want in high school and become a starter, working and fighting for that position, that can definitely happen,” she said.

If all of that didn’t make her a shining role model for the younger Norman North players, then her academic commitment certainly does, because McCombs is also an outstanding student, and the National Honor Society member makes sure that her schoolwork gets top priority.

“You have to plan out your time,” said McCombs, who is also involved with her church youth group. “Obviously, with basketball practices every night for two or two and a half hours, after basketball I come home, get cleaned up, I go straight to homework. And then after I get finished with homework, if I have time left, then I’ll spend time with my family or watch TV, stuff like that. For me, I have to do my homework before I do anything else, because it hangs over my head.”

For her commitment to bettering herself in athletics and in her education, Monica McCombs is VYPE’s Norman North Academic Athlete of the Month.

 

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