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cavalier sports FEBRUARY 2018 11 F ourth-year guard Aliyah Hu- land El has been a steady con- tributor for the UVA women's basketball team since 2014-15. She appeared in all 98 games in her first three seasons, made 34 starts, and averaged 7.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 22.0 minutes per outing. This season, however, has been her best yet. While helping the Cavaliers get off to a 15-7 start (8-1 in the ACC), she was averag- ing a career-high and team-high 11.3 points per game, while posting career-best shooting percentages from the free throw line (83.3), the floor (47.2) and three-point range (38.8). My advice to student-athletes is: Working on time management is important because some degrees might be more time consuming than others. You must prioritize. That was the hardest thing for me in making the transition from high school to college. The primary challenge facing student-athletes today is: I think everyone has their own individual challenges. I know a lot of people struggle learning team dynamics, working with teammates with dif- ferent personalities and maybe their coach's personality is differ- ent than what they thought it was during the recruiting process. The biggest challenge is learning to cope with different personalities. The best thing about UVA is: There are great alumni, beautiful Grounds and great academics. The best thing about UVA is that it is UVA. Why I chose UVA: In the recruiting process, I wanted to study medicine and be a pediatrician down the road. I thought the ACC was good at balanc- ing academic and athletic demands. I felt home here more than anything. What I like the most about basketball: It's a microcosm of life. You must think ahead. The preparation I put in for games and practices is the same I have to put in academically. Because basketball is such a fast-paced game you can't linger on the negatives. Practicing being able to move on has helped me academically and in life in general. The highlight of my athletic career: Beating Florida State [60-51] last season. The way we played in that game was the pinnacle of our per- formance. I thought we did a great job of preparing and playing together. My dream vacation would be: Greece or anywhere in Europe. My post-college ambition is: I plan to play as long as possible. Hope- fully I can enter med school. — Mike Scandura What Is Your Favorite … … TV show? "Blackish" … movie? "The Pursuit of Happyness" … actor and actress? Denzel Washington and Viola Davis … Charlottesville hangout/restaurant? 1515 … musician/band? J. Cole … pro sports team? New York Knicks … food? Trinidadian food … UVA class? Women in American History … sport other than basketball? Track and field … person in history? Maya Angelou … pre-game ritual? I set five goals for myself for each game. I give myself the amount of rebounds I want per quarter, the amount of offensive rebounds I'm going to allow, the amount of free throws I want to take per quarter, the fewest turnovers and the confidence to lead my team in the best way possible. Huland El averaged a career-best 11.3 points per contest over Virginia's first 22 games this season. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA getting to know Fourth-Year Women's Basketball Guard Aliyah Huland El