STrib: Sophie Hart finds herself happily in the middle

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Center Sophie Hart finds herself happily in the middle of matters for Gophers women’s basketball team

Hart was granted another year of eligibility and produced the best stats of her season in the past two games. Next she and the U face No. 1 UCLA.

www.startribune.com

“We want to make the [NCAA] tournament this year,” Hart said. “That’s our goal.”

And that’s what has motivated her to work so hard. Unhappy with her shooting and free-throw percentages, she spent extra time after practice working on both. Challenged to get to the point where she can be effective for longer stretches on the court, Hart has responded.

“She understands the game at a high level,” Plitzuweit said. “But [lately] she has done more of the action part of it, in terms of helping, defending. It’s cool when you see a player work and see results. With her it has happened in a short period of time.”