Being the youngest sibling can require vigilance, and Wauconda’s Emma Wisniewski is the youngest of five sisters.
Perhaps that’s how the 5-foot-10 senior forward has become one of the area’s top defenders.
“Her quickness makes her able to guard anybody,” Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis said. “So even though she’s a post player, I can just put her on a guard. She can step up to any of those challenges.”
Given the injuries already affecting the Bulldogs’ depth as the season begins, Dennis plans to use Wisniewski in some guardlike roles.
“She’s got to be in really good shape because she’s not coming off the floor much,” Dennis said. “I’m going to need her sometimes to be more of a guard-forward than a forward-center. She can do it. She’s more than willing. She says, ‘OK, whatever you need, coach.’”
Wisniewski appears prepared for that added responsibility after averaging 5.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 27 games last season, when Wauconda (19-8, 12-2) finished second in the Northern Lake County Conference and won a postseason game.
“I feel more confident with myself,” she said. “I’ve learned how to get quicker with my defense and more confident with the ball. I’ve learned my teammates’ strengths and see how we can put them together.”
Wisniewski’s four older sisters all played sports — and played them remarkably well. That made Wisniewski, always a competitor at heart, hungry to be the best.
“We’re a super competitive family,” she said. “My sisters are all good at their sports, and they’re all super fast. I try to push myself to be better than them.
“Growing up, we were always doing something competitive, like playing basketball or golf or just racing down the road. That has helped me to become more athletic.”
Indeed, Wisniewski is not only a fourth-year varsity player in basketball. She’s among Wauconda’s top multisport athletes and excels in soccer, just like three of her sisters — Kayla, Rosalie and Kenna — all of whom have since played the sport in college. Kayla Wisniewski was the 2018 News-Sun player of the year. Their oldest sister, Anna, played basketball on Dennis’ team.
“Last year, I would come out of basketball practice and immediately go to soccer practice,” Emma Wisniewski said. “I think it’s easy for me to balance because, as a kid, my mom was always running us all around to different places. So I don’t really see it as a challenge.”
Dennis appreciates Wisniewski’s background in soccer.
“Emma reads plays really well and is able to get a hand on the ball,” Dennis said. “That’s where her soccer experience really helps.”
Wisniewski has recorded eight goals and five assists during her Wauconda soccer career.
“She has a combination of the right attitudes,” Wauconda girls soccer coach Beau Shogren said. “You have ultracompetitive people who come in ready to tear somebody’s face off, and then you have people that come in and don’t take it as seriously. She kind of has this mix of both, where she has a sense of intensity, but she also has a lighter side.”
That approach will come in handy in Wisniewski’s role as a veteran for Dennis’ team.
“Emma is clearly one of our leaders,” Dennis said. “Her maturity and confidence have flourished. She’s somebody I can depend on.
“She’s always going to be there with us. She was there all fall at open gyms. She’s there in the summer. She communicates well, and it’s been really nice to see her grow into such a mature young lady.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.
