Sire has played basketball for 12 years and now plays as a forward for the Red Hawks.
Photo Credit: Daniel Falkenheim
During a Montclair State women’s basketball game, you will see Katie Sire making an impeccable presence on the court. Sire is a sophomore forward on the university’s women’s basketball team and is a driving force to the basket.
The Garden State native was born in Red Bank, New Jersey and grew up in Hazlet, New Jersey. Prior to joining the Red Hawks, Sire was a four-year varsity starter at Raritan High School and was a member of the Jersey Shore Wildcats Amateur Athletic Union team. She has been playing basketball for a total of 12 years.
The co-captain finds motivation within her competitive personality and by winning. Her favorite quote is by Vince Lombardi: “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.” Sire, in turn, shares a common goal with her teammates. She’s determined to win an NCAA National Championship before her four years at Montclair State are over.
Sire averages 13.3 points, 9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
Photo Credit: Daniel Falkenheim
Sire’s competitive play and love of the game has earned her the honor of being named 1st Team All-Conference for the 2015-2016 season. Sire averages 13.3 points, 9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
Her ability to guide the team to another NJAC title is truly remarkable to her teammates. With Sire acting as a leader on the team, the younger players admire the type of play that she brings to the court.
“She’s aggressive — she goes after it. She’s a good rebounder. She takes tough shots,” freshman guard Kiarra Dillard said.
Freshman forward Domonique Wirsing chimed in, saying that Sire “does whatever it takes to get things done.”
The team dynamic has had a tremendous impact on them this season.“We’re very close. We hang out all of the time,” Sire said. “Something as simple as watching movies, or going out to eat — we do almost everything together. Coming into school last year, I didn’t room with a girl on the team. After being on the team for a season, I became really close with Kate Tobie, and we decided to live together this year.”
Sire shows her moves on the court.
Photo credit: Daniel Falkenheim
“[Sire] sets examples for us — she helps you on and off the court,” mentioned Dillard and Wirsing.
Sire holds her teammates accountable, acknowledging the fact that being a student athlete is a privilege.”As a team, we attend study hall hours together for an hour and a half a week, which keeps us on top of our school work,” Sire said.
Sire is confident that all of the hard work, dedication and time put forth will have a positive outcome. “[College basketball] takes up a lot of your time, but it’s worth it,” Sire said. “It’s worth it, because you get to achieve goals like winning an NJAC championship. Or last year, we made it to the Final Four, so we were able to travel to Michigan.”
The Red Hawks have high hopes for the remainder of the season, and Sire plans on taking necessary measures in order to make sure the team succeeds.
“I think we have a lot of potential to finish the season strong,” said Sire. “Now that the season is coming towards an end, we’ve been able to connect as a team. We’re on a nine-game winning streak, so I hope that the momentum we’ve found will take us really far.”
