Talking sports with … Dimond guard Jahnna Hajdukovich

Jahnna Hajdukovich is a 5-foot-8 junior guard in her first year with the Dimond girls basketball team. Last season, she was a Gatorade Player of the Year nominee and a participant at the USA Basketball Women's Under-17 team tryouts, making it to the second-to-last round.

Q. You used to attend Lathrop High. Why did you end up moving and taking your talents to Dimond this year?

A. Actually, what happened is my dad got a brand new job offer down here. We'd been living up in Fairbanks ever since I was a little kid — I grew up there. And he got a new job offer … so it's just coincidental that we moved into the Dimond area and I'm going to Dimond.

Q. How would you compare living in Anchorage to living in Fairbanks?

A. I thought it was going to be like a city, and it's actually not. You have your own little area — like you have the south side, you have the west side, east side — you have all of it and it's huge. Fairbanks is really small. Everybody knows everybody. In Anchorage, you kind of just know a certain group and you can meet new people. That's probably the biggest difference.

Q. Your dad, Jim, was a record-breaking basketball player at UAA in the '90s. What has he taught you about the game?

A. Both my parents were outstanding players and they have taught me everything about the game. Ever since I was little, I have had a basketball in my hand and they have pushed me to get where I am now, which I am very grateful for.

They always taught me to work my hardest and to strive to be the very best person I could be.

Q. What's it like playing for coach Jim Young?

A. I love playing for Coach Young. It's been so much fun. I love the program, the girls are awesome, it's really taught me a lot about friendship and getting to know people, and working my butt off to earn my spot and just showing people what I have to offer.

[Talking sports with … East guard Moses Miller]

Q. Expanding on that, what do you have to offer? What is your style as a player?

A. I'm really focused on defense and (scoring), and I'm really into the team mentality. I'm very much into my team. I love my team. I've known these girls for actually a while because they've played on my comp teams.

I try to work my hardest at everything, like, I try to work my hardest at steals, I try to work my hardest at getting to the hoop, I try to work my hardest at giving people their opportunities.

Q. What are your go-to shots in a game of HORSE?

A. My first one is I like to do the reverse layup. The normal layup gets a lot of people (too) — you'd be surprised. The easiest one. And then the 3 — I love my 3s."

Q. What's something about you that people don't know?

A. I play the piano, I water ski, I have a dog named "Deeda" (and) I have three younger brothers: Zavier, Marek and Pius.

Q. Where did you learn to water ski?

A. That's a great question. My family, the Hajdukovichs, is a pretty big family up in Fairbanks and we have a cabin out on Harding Lake, and we always go out on the water. We call it "the Kahuna Ski Team." It's kind of just like a family thing. We all got, like, these North Face jackets and we got the team logo on the back. It's really quite cool.

That's how I learned. My dad does it and my mom does it. It's very fun. I love it.

Q. How much family do you have up in Fairbanks?

A. I have 22 cousins. There's a lot of them.

Q. You've competed at the trials for the USA Basketball Women's National Team twice (once for the Under-16 team and once for the Under-17 team). What was it like to compete against some of the best players in the country?

A. I've gone twice and I've made it to the second-to-last round. It was amazing to be able to compete and play with all the top players from my class from all around the country … By going down to play with them, it taught me to have a chip on my shoulder, and that just because I'm from Alaska, (it) doesn't mean I can't compete and gain more opportunities for myself.

It also gave me more confidence (by) seeing that I could play with the best in my class.

This interview is part of a series of conversations with Alaska athletes and sports figures. Some portions were edited for length or clarity.