Gianna Kneepkens: "I love basketball, but I love the Lord more."

Gianna Kneepkens is the sixth child and only girl in the Kneepkens family.  She would say she got her basketball start in the driveway with her five older brothers, who made playing basketball never very easy on her.  She was the last Kneepkens to graduate from Holy Rosary and still connects with the friends she went to school with for nine years.  Gianna runs into her Holy Rosary teachers at Mass on Sundays, who always appears to be interested in her activities.  Not to mention Mr. Murray, her grade school principal, who goes out of his way to share encouraging words.  

 Gianna said, "Receiving the gift of Catholic Education at Holy Rosary School has set the foundation for what I see as priorities in my life and where I  need to apply the highest level of effort. My family and Holy Rosary taught me the importance of  a Christ-centered life and to do all I can to re-gift the gifts God gave me by glorifying Him." For Gianna, glorifying God may look like taking the most challenging classes or returning to the basketball court after practice to continue to work on her game.  Gianna begins competitions or tests with prayer by offering up the sacrifices she made.  In return, Gianna sanctifies her accomplishments by acknowledging them in God's name.

Gianna wants people to know, "I love basketball, but I love the Lord more; as I was blessed to travel around the country to play, I always made it a priority to attend Mass. At times, that meant I was late or missed a warm-up because I knew all of this would not have been possible without God." Gianna went on to say, "I guess I missed out on some social events for workouts or studying.  But, when it came to things like being a Camp Survive Counselor or attending Tobit (a Theology of the Body Weekend Retreat), I knew where my priorities needed to be, and I made a point to attend.”

 Gianna will be studying science and math and playing basketball at Division I, University of Utah.  For every recruiting visit, Gianna not only looked at what the university had to offer her, but she was also sure to check out the campus' Catholic student community.  The University of Utah has a thriving Newman Center, which sealed the deal for her. If you're looking for a sports team to support next year, stream the University of Utah Women's Basketball and join us in cheering the Utes on to victory.  Go Utes!