Relentless. That’s one of many adjectives to describe Zoe Cohen. The Berkeley Carroll senior recently completed her final season starring for the Girls Varsity Basketball program.

During her outstanding high school career, Cohen achieved plenty in helping lead Coach Walter Paller’s Lady Lions to an ACIS championship last year and finishing with nearly 1,600 points. Her hard work and dedication on and off the court which included plenty of practice time along with extensive workouts at the BC Athletic Center ultimately paid off.

She’ll be attending SUNY New Paltz this Fall and get an opportunity to continue her basketball career. If you didn’t catch Cohen’s exciting high school act, then get out to see her when she returns home to play NYU!

You can bet there will be plenty of family and friends in the stands giving a wealth of support. That was pretty evident at the Berkeley Carroll gym where she wowed supporters with an exciting brand of basketball which included tenacious driving hoops along with step back treys.

Opponents also couldn’t put her on the line because she was butter. Just ask ACIS league runner-up Dwight. In the biggest game of the 2007-08 regular season where it meant no playoffs if her team lost, Cohen ripped up Dwight for 37 with many swishes coming from the charity stripe in crunch time to insure that BC had a chance to defend their league crown.

Though they ultimately fell to league rival and eventual champion Staten Island Academy out in Todt Hill this past Monday concluding a brilliant career, it meant everything to the passionate Cohen who got a little emotional when her coach bear hugged her.

With the season finally over and preparing for softball along with big hoops games starring for her AAU team, Cohen was nice enough to take time out of a busy schedule to take part in an interview:

Derek Felix: How much have you enjoyed your senior year?

Zoe Cohen: I have always imagined being a senior in high school, and it is pretty crazy I just recently played my last home game. Overall senior year has been a lot of fun. First semester was definitely my biggest challenge in terms of academics, but second semester has been a lot of fun. In terms of basketball it has been really great. It was kind of a disappointment at the beginning with the lack of players and commitment, but the last few months have been great.

DF: As the go to player on your team, do you relish all that comes with it? Responsibilities? Attention?

ZC: As the go to player on my team, I definitely relish all that comes with it. Starting in 10th grade I was put in the position where I knew that I would need to step up. Looking back, it seems as if ever since I hit a buzzer beater to beat St. Saviors in the championship game of the Berkeley Carroll Tip Off Tournament, I have learned to step up. Playing with Berkeley Carroll basketball has helped me immensely grow into a confident player.

DF: Your school lost a few players from last year’s ACIS champs. Only you and teammate Elena Levi are seniors. Has it been a little different experience given that the rest of the team is fairly young and not too deep?

ZC: Last year we lost three great players, which I knew would change the dynamics of the team this year. Before the season started there was about 15 girls signed up to play basketball, and by the middle of the season there was only 8 girls on the roster, and no Junior Varsity program. It was hard going to practice every day and knowing that we didn’t have enough to scrimmage, or run through some drills. Although it took our team a little time to get started, we played hard throughout the whole season.

We never gave up, and even though we had 5 freshmen, some of which had never played basketball before, they all worked hard and learned their positions on the go. Therefore, it has been a completely different experience this year, but it has definitely been a great one.

DF: You had a great win over Dwight. Ironically the same ACIS rival you cameback to beat for the title last year. How much did it mean to pull that out in front of your home supporters and qualify for the league postseason?

ZC: I think that the Dwight game was probably our best game this year. We knew going in that they had nothing to lose, while we knew that if we lost we were not going to make the ACIS playoff tournament. We knew that they were going to come out strong, and we played extremely well. That win proved to all of us that we were one of the top teams and I think it gave us all a little more confidence.

DF: You’ve had some great games in your career. Were the 37 you scored in that big win your standout performance given the circumstances?

ZC: I think that my 37 points was definitely my best game considering the circumstances. We were losing at half time, and my shooting was on, and I took control. It was my last regular season game and I wanted to make the playoffs one last time.

DF: Can you talk about your relationship with Coach Paller? How much has he meant to your career and the program’s success?

ZC: Coach Paller has been great to me. I have had a great time playing for him, and he has helped me a lot with my game. As I fouled out with a few seconds left on the clock in my last high school game against Staten Island Academy, Coach Paller gave me a big hug. I didn’t ever think that that moment would be emotional, but once it occurred to me that it was all over, I started to cry a little, and that’s when I realized how much the Berkeley Carroll program and Coach Paller have helped me and supported me throughout my high school career.

I will miss coach Paller a lot next year, he has been great a great coach and a great friend, and that’s really all you can ask for in a coach. Also, Coach Morgan, our assistant, has really helped me a lot this year. It has been great having her around, she is really going to strengthen the Berkeley Carroll Girls Basketball program in the future.
DF: Recently, you were looking at New Paltz and Oneonta. How’s the college search going? Any closer to a decision?

ZC: I am going to SUNY New Paltz, and I am extremely excited.

DF: You and Elena are good friends and star athletes. Who’s better?

ZC: Me and Elena are best friends, she is a great athlete. I can’t say who is better, she is an unbelievable soccer player and I know she is going to be great at the next level.

DF: Basketball isn’t the only sport you play.

ZC:  I play softball also. I played tennis when I was a freshman, but I stopped and decided to join the softball team. Softball is a lot of fun to play. It is a lot of fun to play outside, especially after a season in the gym.

DF: Final question: Having scored over 1,500 points in your brilliant career, do you ever step back out of character and look at what you’ve accomplished on the court?

ZC:  I definitely step back and look at the accomplishments that I made on the court. These accomplishments help me stay confident and help me realize what I can do on the basketball court. So, although Berkeley Carroll basketball does not play the best competition, it has taught me a lot about stepping up and being a leader, as well as teaching inexperienced kids how to play the game and have fun.

But with all of this over now, I have definitely looked back at my accomplishments on the court and have thought about some of the great moments of my career.

Editor’s Note: As someone who was fortunate enough to score her games the past couple of years, it was a joy to watch such a special athlete. Cohen’s not only a great player but also a winner off the court as well. She’ll do extremely well at New Paltz.

I’d like to thank her for taking part in this HB exclusive and wish her continued success.

Please look for our next HB interview with Cohen’s best friend/teammate and BC soccer star Elena Levi. We should be having more upcoming features this month as well.

Stay tuned.