COLUMBUS — One Central Ohio basketball player is getting national attention and is hoping the spotlight on women’s basketball is here to stay.
What You Need To Know
- Aza Corbett has over 500 career rebounds and over 150 so far this season
- The junior forward is averaging over 17 rebounds a game and is ninth in the nation in rebounds
- Corbett says she looks up to players at the next level like Caitlin Clark because they've paved the way for a player like her
- Corbett is hopeful to play basketball in college
Junior Aza Corbett is frequently seen battling for a rebound in the Centennial High School gym.
“I see the ball and I’m like that’s my ball, I have to go get that,” Corbett said.
The junior has come a long way since her freshman year, her coach Ernest Bell says.
“She was just a typical young kid who knew that she loved to play basketball,” Bell said. “The skill set wasn’t all there. But some hard work after the first season, she came back a different player last year and an even better player this year.”
But this year just seemed different.
“I knew that she was having a special season because she had some 20 plus rebound games, like several,” Bell said. “And I was like, man, this is abnormal.”
Bell’s coaching staff did some digging and found that the center is top 10 in the nation in rebounding.
“Oh my God. Like I didn’t know that,” Corbett said about finding out the news. “So it was just kind of like wow because I never really knew that someone from city schools, that you know usually it’s the OCC schools that get recognition, so I never thought that would be me.”
Corbett says playing this sport while so much attention has been brought to the women’s game has allowed her to dream big.
“Now there’s so many more recognized female names so it’s just really inspiring because that’s a possibility," she said. "Like it feels like we’re that much closer for it to just become like a common thing.”
“Just to watch and see how the game has grown and how these ladies and young ladies are getting the respect that they deserve because they’re athletes also," Bell said.
With some time to plan her future, Corbett acknowledges the invaluable support she receives from women's sports and her support system, which have propelled her forward.
"I never expected to receive this level of support from my school, friends, family, and team," she expressed. “I always dreamed of this. And that becoming a reality is really sentimental to me.”