Elizabeth Manner, a 2013 Oakton High School graduate, was a dominant force in the paint for the Cougars girls’ basketball team. The 6-foot-1 post helped Oakton go undefeated during her junior season and take home the 2011-12 state championship.
While Manner’s senior season ended when she suffered a thumb injury in the Northern Region tournament, her basketball career will continue at the collegiate level after receiving a full scholarship to Stony Brook University in New York. She recently took part in a Q and A with The Connection via email.
*Connection: What made Stony Brook the right fit for you?
Manner: Everything. There was a perfect mix of what I wanted and it was somewhere where I could really see myself everyday walking around. I also loved the proximity of the city to the school.
*Connection: What will you study?
Manner: I want to study something in the medical field; I'm not sure what yet, but something where I work with people. I have always been interested in things that have to do with medicine.
*Connection: What is your favorite memory of playing basketball at Oakton?
Manner: Singing "We Are Young" in the locker room after winning states my junior year, along with getting to know everyone and having people that I got to get close with every year, and continue to stay in touch with.
*Connection: What are you most looking forward to about the transition from high school to college?
Manner: Having the ability to meet many new people and getting to take classes in things that I am interested in.
*Connection: At what age did you start playing basketball? Did you imagine you'd one day play it in college?
Manner: I started playing in first grade and continued for fun until fifth grade, and then I got serious about it ever since. I never imagined I would be playing DI basketball; it was always something I have wanted to do but really never thought I could. I just continued to get better and made my dream a reality.
*Connection: Who is your favorite music artist? Why?
Manner: I don't really have a favorite music artist. I generally listen to all types of music and am pretty flexible about what's playing.
*Connection: What’s your favorite movie?
Manner: “The Blind Side” is my favorite movie. I love the story behind it and I think it's an adorable movie.
*Connection: What is your favorite hobby outside of basketball?
Manner: I enjoy baking basically anything, along with hanging out with friends.
*Connection: What location is the farthest you’ve traveled from the Washington, D.C. metro area?
Manner: I have been all over the East Coast because of basketball, but I went on a family vacation to California, where we toured the San Francisco area.
—Jon Roetman