Q-and-A with Lauren Bal, Oak Forest basketball

• Reprints

Lauren Bal, Oak Forest basketball. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 11, 2012 8:12AM

Lauren Bal, 18, is a senior center for the Oak Forest Bengals. She is also a member of the softball squad.

What’s the best part of being a multisport athlete?

Staying in shape all year, and you get to travel a lot and be with your teammates.

What’s the hardest part?

There really aren’t any hard parts. It’s all fun.

When you block a shot out of bounds, what do you do?

I just kind of smirk and run off.

You wear 13, which is supposed to be bad luck. Do you have a lot of back luck?

No. Everything good comes out on Friday the 13th for me.

What’s your most fun basketball memory?

Probably when Emily Naegele whips the ball into somebody’s stomach (at practice) and they keel over, like throw up. It’s funny.

What team would you love to beat more than any other?

Hillcrest. They always have national talent and they’re just always so good and beat us. It would be just a good game to win against them.

What player from another team would you love to have as a teammate?

Jahmia Phillips, of Hillcrest. Their centers are always so strong.

You’re cooking for the team. What’s on the menu?

Probably lasagna, and ham and steak. And mini-cupcakes. I love cooking.

What habit do you wish you could break?

Whenever I do something wrong I have this scared little face, like, “Ohhh, sorry.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Probably being a doctor and having a family.

What hidden talent do you have that we just need to know about?

Ummm ... I can burp the ABCs.

What is one of your earliest childhood memories?

When I was little and we had just moved into my house, me and my neighbor put all kind of grapes into our mailbox to see if the mailman would open it up and see the grapes fall out. Her mom found out and we got in trouble and had to clean it all out.

Your dream celebrity prom date. Who is it?

Blake Shelton. I’m just in love with him, but Miranda Lambert beat me to it.

If you were in a rock band, what instrument would you play?

I’d play the guitar. That would be really cool. And you get to smash them at the end, too.

Do you have any nicknames?

A lot of people call me L.B.

Complete this sentence: Teachers are clueless about ...

Everything.

— As told to Tony Baranek