As a multi-sport athlete, Hillcrest High’s Addison Back keeps the ball out of the net — and can put it in, too.

As a senior on the school’s girls’ basketball team, she chipped in a couple baskets in the season’s opening game at Logan High and with her teammates, they accomplished something that last year, they couldn’t — a victory.

Under new head basketball coach Marcus Onofrietti, Back said there’s been positive changes in the program.

“Our new coach set the boundaries right from the beginning,” she said. “He’s positive and everybody respects him. I feel we have a lot of potential. We have quick players, our ball handling has gotten a lot better and we’ve gotten stronger in the post. I’m excited about how we’ll do this year.”

Back not only plays on the hardwood, she’s known for making saves as the goalkeeper for the Huskies on the soccer pitch. She also throws shotput and discus and she’s hoping to step onto the track to race sprints. 

“I loved our soccer team chemistry. We got along like a family; we always had each other’s back,” said the four-year team member who wore No. 0. “Our coach (Brett Davis) is big on leadership; as seniors, we tried to welcome the new players and do things that involved everyone. We have a lot of fun with warmups. Since my freshman year, we have ‘country Fridays’ every Friday practice or game where we play only country music.”

She said early in the season, Davis offered the team advice.

“He told us to be patient; we’re small and a young team. He said to celebrate our victories even if they aren’t wins. We had a lot of good moments against really good teams, so we’d be positive about those and use that as motivation. I’d always pick up the girls when they made a mistake. I’d tell them, ‘It’s OK, you got the next one,’ and they usually did. I tried to make it a fun community, so they’d enjoy playing and want to get better. We got better; we could see how much we improved through the season,” she said.

Despite Back being named a 4A All State honorable mention player last year, the Huskies finished fifth in region this season, losing in the first round of the state playoffs.

But their impact was greater than what they did on the field, Back said.

“We try to do a lot for the community. Our coach promotes that. We always clean the bus after our away games so the driver doesn’t have to do that after getting back at night. We clean up trash around campus and we helped with the school’s trunk or treat. We did soccer clinics after the Harvest Days parade, and we did one with the boys’ team at Copperview Elementary. It was fun. We did different drills with the kids, going over how to dribble the ball, how to score, how to defend the net, then did a scrimmage at the end. They’re good and have a lot of potential,” she said.

Back began playing soccer at age 3. She played in Sandy City’s recreation league, then moved to play competitive club soccer with Sparta. Ten years later, she still plays with them in addition to high school.

“My parents put me in soccer. I just kept playing because I like it,” she said.

Initially, Back played offense on the pitch.

“I was playing striker until I was 13, then our goalie missed a game. The (Sparta) coaches put me in goal, and they kept me in there,” she said. “Playing the goal is very stressful. Every little mistake used to get to my head, but I’ve gotten better at keeping my head in the game. I tell myself I can do it. I usually do, too. When the ball goes in (the net), I tell myself that it’s not always my fault. If I’ve done everything I can do, then they have that good shot. Then, I remind myself, ‘I’ve got the next one.’”

Hillcrest coach Davis said Back is mentally strong as well as being a disciplined player.

“As a goalkeeper, Addison has a lot on her shoulders, but she is both confident and competent,” he said. “Everyone has someone’s back until it comes to her. Then, the team counts on her and she steps up almost every time. I remind her to take a line from (the television soccer coach) Ted Lasso and tell her to be a goldfish, to just let it go when someone scores. She’s already one who can play at a college level and she wants to be an even better player. Addison is someone we, as coaches, count on as a leader on the field and to her teammates. She pumps them up and keeps them positive. As a player, she is intuitive, always asking questions. She has a good read of the game and shares that with the team. She’s solid technically. In the goal, she covers the space and can get the corners of the net – and she’s tough. Addison has played through getting hit in the face with a knee and later got stitches in the ER (emergency room). She plays no matter what. She has grit and tenacity, just mentally tough.” 

But given the choice, Back wants time out of the net.

“I like playing on the field more. I’m going to Colorado Northwestern Community College and the coach is going to put me in a lot of different places to see which one works best next season as his keeper will return next year. After that, I’ll be back in goal,” she said.

As a student-athlete, Back will be attending the two-year school tuition-free. 

“I have an academic and athletic scholarship. I’ve kept a 3.5 GPA and above during my high school, but this year, I have a 4.0,” she said, adding she’s taking English concurrent enrollment classes at Salt Lake Community College for college credit as well.

Back wants to study criminology or perhaps, study in a chef’s program.

“I’ve wanted to be a detective since I was young. I used to watch a lot of ‘Law and Order’ growing up and as a kid, my favorite TV show was ‘Scooby Doo.’ I am going to take criminal justice at CTEC (Canyons Technical Education Center) next semester, but I also like to cook, so I think being a chef would be fun. I like watching all the cooking shows, so I took Intro to Foods and culinary classes in school and really enjoyed those,” she said.

Following her soccer coach’s advice, she’s also stepping up as a leader on the basketball team. This summer, the 5-foot-8-inch forward who wears No. 22 went to the open gyms and helped with the youth camp.

“We played in the July SLCC tournament and even though we didn’t have all of our varsity players, we were still playing really well as a team. I tried to make it to every practice. When our soccer practice schedule got moved to a later time, I went to basketball practice first, then to soccer after,” she said. “With basketball, we have a good chance of beating most of the teams in our region.”

She wants to bring back the player of the game award that was a tradition when she was a freshman.

“The seniors pick someone who really steps up in a game. It’s motivating, especially for younger players, to get recognized for putting forth their best effort. It gets their confidence up and it pushes them to keep doing better,” she said.

Back got the award her freshman year when she first started playing basketball.

“Somebody on soccer invited me to come play basketball. I went to one of the open gyms and it was super fun. That’s when (center) Dayana (Mulamba) and I started playing as teammates. It’s been fun playing with my friends; we usually listen to rap songs for our playlist,” she said. “Last year, we went to St. George for a tournament, and it was fun spending time together as a team.”

 Since her first year, Back has worked on skills on her own. 

“I put in a lot of work in the offseason. I went to every open gym, then I’d practice on my own. I did a lot of dribbling because I wanted to get better. I put up a lot of shots, too. I’ve also played church ball with my friend and her brothers. It was very intense. We were the only two girls so that pushed me to get better too,” she said.

As a senior, Mulamba, who was one of the Huskies’ top volleyball players this fall, put up 10 points in the first basketball game. Senior guard Amelia Lapore led the team with 15 points. Lapore had three assists and Back led the team with two blocks. Between the three players, they grabbed 18 boards. 

“I don’t know if I’ll continue to play basketball in college. Colorado Northwestern told me I could play for them, but I’m still thinking about it,” Back said. 

She has time to think about it as her immediate focus will be taking on Hunter, Granger, Kearns, Timpanogos, Juan Diego, Summit Academy and other teams in addition to 4A region 10 teams. 

“I plan to put myself out there, be the best I can be, have the best experience I can with my teammates and make the most out of it,” Back said. “Hopefully, we’ll win. I like winning. It makes me feel good and I know I help us achieve that; we’re all a part of it.”