Incoming Chino Hills high schooler, Chuang, is chasing her basketball dreams
CHINO HILLS, Calif. — Haley Chuang has been playing basketball since she was five years old. Now 14 and headed to Chino Hills High School in the fall of 2021, her dreams of playing in college, and perhaps the WNBA, are closer than ever.
Ask Haley what she loves about her sport and she immediately lights up. “Basketball makes me feel good inside. To know that I have something that may take me a long way is comforting. The competitiveness of the sport makes it even more fun!” she offers with enthusiasm. Saying fun and competition in the same sentence does not come without the hard work she puts in and her dedication to staying fit.
Before a big game, Haley would hype herself up with her favorite songs by Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean. She would set small goals of what she would like to accomplish during her game like scoring at least 10 points. Mentally, she would tell herself encouraging affirmations like having a good attitude and having positive thoughts. Her mom repeats the phrase, “positive thoughts equal positive results and negative thoughts equal negative results,” before each game, which Haley keeps in mind to this very day.
Haley has not played competitively since October 2020 with the SoCal Ambush Basketball Girls Travel Basketball Association due to the pandemic. And like many young athletes, she has had to take the initiative to motivate herself to practice and stay in shape. To manage this off-time, Haley sets daily and weekly goals to work on shooting form, consistency, and increasing her percentage of shooting with additional focus on her dribble and maneuvering the ball around. She also exercises regularly and tries to eat healthy meals.
Haley draws inspiration by watching the WNBA, specifically her favorite team, the Los Angeles Sparks, as well as her favorite player, forward Candace Parker who just left LA to sign with the Chicago Sky. She also admires Kobe Bryant for his advocacy and impact on women’s basketball. Haley was fortunate to have watched his daughter Gigi play during her travel ball season.
For her self-guided practices, she imagines specific scenarios and applies moves that she might utilize as a shooting guard to score points, or as a point guard for the offense where her dribbling and passing skills are needed most. She tells me that she could play either position depending on who is on her team and their height. Haley is 5’3” and point guards are typically taller than shooting guards. This is not a disadvantage, she explains. As she played over the years, she has developed a better understanding and respect for how to play the game smarter and strategically. For example, where she stands on the court on defensive plays enables her to be there for her teammates and score.
With her eyes on the future, Haley is excited to think about college. She hopes to get into a Division 1 school like the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Stanford University, or the University of Oregon, Eugene. Besides basketball, Haley would like to study business, or something related to technology. She lives by the advice she was once given, “keep your head up.” Her definition is both literal and figurative: by physically keeping her head up, she can see her team on the court and play smart and focus on where to put the ball; and visualize what life brings ahead, keep a positive mindset, and continue to grow. Despite the challenges of distance learning, Haley has maintained straight As.
Family is important to Haley. They spend time together watching movies, baking, or shopping. They used to travel more before the pandemic so this quality time at home has brought them closer. Haley has a little brother, Logan, who is 10 years old. The Chuangs have three dogs named Boba, Scruffy, and Nalu as well as five goldfish they won at the local Harvest Festival (St. Paul the Apostle Church). They love to take vacations in Hawaii. Her mom grew up in Oahu and her grandparents still live there. Like most teenagers, Haley also enjoys the company of her friends. They love to spend time at a park or thrifting at the local Goodwill.
Haley is grateful to her supportive family and friends for always being there. She realizes the sacrifices mom, Marijane, and dad, Jesse, made by making time in their schedules to get her to practice, but more importantly, believing in her. She describes these people as her heroes. Thank you, Haley, for sharing your life with us.
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