Being an underclassman, Claire Goldsmith has been susceptible to the doubts that can creep into a younger player’s mind.
After all, when it’s your job to knock down shots and they aren’t …
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Being an underclassman, Claire Goldsmith has been susceptible to the doubts that can creep into a younger player’s mind.
After all, when it’s your job to knock down shots and they aren’t falling at the rate you hope for, it can get frustrating.
“Sometimes, it can be difficult,” said Goldsmith of not letting the doubt prevail after a rough shooting outing. “I always just try to do the very best I can to help my team. I want to go out and play my role. I want to be positive and be (a scorer) while playing good defense.”
If the end of the 2026 Warrenton Winter Shootout is any indication, Goldsmith’s role in the offense – just like her confidence – is on the upswing.
While the team’s 61-57 loss to Francis Howell North on Jan. 16 didn’t produce the desired result, Goldsmith stepped into a new role for the Warriors (5-6).
Her 17 points not only marked a career high well above her 6.5 points per game average, but they also carried with them a swagger that Warrenton Coach Hannah Logan hadn’t seen from the sophomore.
The effort continues Goldsmith's meteoric rise within the team’s offense, the coach said.
“She had been struggling with her shooting, honestly, ever since her eighth-grade year,” Logan said. “She’s been working on it. She comes in early. She stays late. I think all of her hard work is starting to pay off and I am very glad to witness it.”
The coach said that Goldsmith’s work has been a process ever since she was in middle school.
Logan went on to say that Goldsmith’s metamorphosis may well be complete.
“She’s very hard on herself, she’s always been that way, when it comes to her shooting,” Logan said. “Recently, I’ve seen a lot more confidence from her and the focus on that next-play mentality. We can see that her shooting is coming.
“The other day at practice, she hit five 3-pointers in a row and today at shootaround, she hit three in a row,” Logan added. “It’s coming. Tonight, the other girls on the team were calling her ‘the shooter,’ and it’s exciting to witness that. I know she was tickled.”
As the coach said, Goldsmith was tickled, indeed.
She said that while she makes it her mission to lift everyone around her, she sometimes struggles to do the same for herself.
“Confidence is a big thing,” Goldsmith said. “I work hard to try and pump the confidence up in my teammates. I need to work on that for myself sometimes. I really want to work on keeping myself positive.”
Goldsmith, who also plays volleyball and runs track in high school, said she works hard at every sport she plays, but there is just something more for her in basketball.
She said that, while she’s focused on the hardwood, she wants to bring some of the fun she has in her other sports into her mindset on the court.
It can only help her success in the long run, she feels.
“Basketball is my sport, but I like to have fun with the other two,” Goldsmith said. “I think that fun allows me to have so much positivity, no matter how things are going. I want to make sure everyone around me feels that (positivity) and just enjoys playing the game as much as I do. I want to (bring that fun to basketball).”
