By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Eastside Catholic girls basketball is in the midst of a rebuilding season, and at the center of that transformation is sophomore Sophie Lugolobi. The 5-foot-9 guard and point forward has become a foundational piece for a young and rapidly developing roster, serving as both a top performer and an emerging leader.
The 2025-26 Eastside Catholic roster features only two seniors, two juniors (one currently injured), three sophomores, and two freshmen. Head coach Darnelia Russell acknowledges the team’s inexperience but is confident in what this group can become.
“This year’s team, we’re pretty young,” said Russell. “We only have 2 seniors, 2 juniors, one injured, and three sophomores and two freshmen. But we have a lot of talent and a great group of girls both on and off the floor. They’re showing up, they’re putting in the work, and yeah, we’re just a young team so we’re just building.”
Russell says her team’s bond and work ethic are helping compensate for what they lack in experience. She has invested in team-building opportunities through offseason workouts, training, and tournament play. The idea is to give players a chance to grow together and accelerate their chemistry.
“I do encourage year around play. But with high school, it’s kind of hard because, you know, summer, they have their families, and it’s not mandatory during fall or summer,” said Russell. “So, I just try to convince them that that’s how we’re going to be really good if we just stick together.”
Now in her third year at the helm, Russell sees potential in this young group and especially in Lugolobi, who has stepped into a leadership role despite being only a sophomore.
“Just trusting each other, we’re getting there. We’re getting to where we’re starting to build chemistry and just trusting each other,” said Russell. “Our last three games have shown we’re starting to trust each other a lot more. We just beat Seattle Prep by like 39 after they beat us by 5. So, it’s just no selfish basketball, we play as a team, so I think basically just trusting each other.”
Russell said showing up every day and putting in the work is this team’s greatest strength.
“I think our strength is just showing up, right, just showing up and putting in the work,” said Russell. “So that we can trust each other and develop chemistry and all that good stuff. But yeah, just showing up.”
At the heart of that effort is Lugolobi, a self-motivated athlete who also runs track and field, competing in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter events. But her heart is firmly with basketball.
Lugolobi said she has dreams of playing in college. Her favorite school is Stanford, and she would love to play there though any collegiate opportunity would be meaningful because of her love for the game.
Lugolobi’s outlook on the team reflects her coach’s emphasis on chemistry and growth.
“I think this year we’re definitely a very young team, but we have really good chemistry, and I think we all have the same goal,” said Lugolobi. “That we all are working hard to come together, use all of our strengths and skills in order to achieve our goals, I think it’s really good this year.”
Russell said that Lugolobi stands out not just for her athleticism but for her mentality.
“Sophie is the ultimate player, she’s so coachable. She listens, she works before, during and after practice, she wants to be better, she wants to get better,” said Russell. “Her defensive tenacity is her strong suit, but she’s great on the offensive side too, not just the defensive side. She’s definitely a threat on offense, and she is a great student. Great grades, very respectable, and as a sophomore, she’s one of our top leaders on our team.”
“So, that’s kind of different,” Russell added. “It’s usually the older girls that do the leading, but I guess with us having such a young team.”
As the season progresses, Lugolobi sees the growth happening and believes in the team’s potential.
“I think at the beginning of the season, we kind of started off in terms of wins like winning all of our games, but it is kind of rough because we’re a young team, but we want to win most of our games,” said Lugolobi. “We also wanna win metro and districts and eventually reach the state tournament and when they get there, we wanna take home the trophy.”
Russell sees a clear path for Lugolobi’s development and knows what will help her elevate her game even further.
“I think with Sophie is that she just has to stop doubting herself at times. I know she knows she’s put in the work and I think she just has to believe in that,” said Russell. “Believe in that work that she puts in, that comes with getting older, getting more reps and just building her basketball IQ. Once she gets to that stage, she’s going to be unstoppable.”
Lugolobi agrees and is focused on becoming a more complete, decision-making player.
“Not forcing things and making the right decisions and finding the open shooter, if I’m drawing the double team, knowing when and where to kick it, just believing in myself and my decision-making,” said Lugolobi. “I think just playing. Developing a little bit more IQ in terms of those little things like that. And knowing when to attack and all that.”
Lugolobi takes pride in the physical tools and skills that allow her to impact the game in multiple ways. She says her strength and athleticism make her a threat both as a slasher and a shooter, and she listens closely to her coaches’ advice about where she can be most effective on the court.
“I’m strong and like athletic, so I think just like my coaches always tell me, get that mid-range, that midi shot,” said Lugolobi. “Also just getting to the paint because nobody can jump with me to some extent, just being aggressive and just getting to the paint, but I can also shoot the ball too.”
While she is confident in her offensive game, Lugolobi says her identity begins on the defensive end. She embraces the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best players and sees defense as a reliable way to contribute, regardless of how she’s scoring.
“I love defense. I’m a defensive player,” said Lugolobi. “It’s all about effort and that’s something you can always control, if I’m not having a great offensive game, I can always control and contribute to my team defensively.”
Russell says leadership by example is what makes Lugolobi so important to the team’s future.
“I think her strengths are just being coachable, willing to play whatever role she has to play in order for her team to win,” said Russell. “She’s always positive, girls mess up or whatever, even when she messes up, she like talks to herself. She like gives herself a little pep talk. But she leads by example and I think she can help take this team deep into the season.”
As Eastside Catholic works through its growing pains, Lugolobi provides the consistency, the competitive fire, and the composure that any program would hope for in a foundational player. She is not only helping guide this team through a transition, she is also setting a standard for what the future can look like.
