PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Eliza Buerk doesn’t take any of it for granted—being home, being at school, or being in a position to grow.

As she heads into her junior year at Davidson College, the Wildcats forward continues to carve out her own path both on and off the court.

Her summer has been full

After recovering from a minor procedure, Buerk jumped back into training, spent time in basketball workouts, and took on an internship as a photographer at The Sports Bra in Portland. That creative outlet has given her perspective and helped her stay mentally fresh.

“I think it does help me stay more present because it’s not like my entire life where I was around basketball,” Buerk said. “I think that having something else to think about and having something else to work on, having something else that I can be present in really helps me stay present in basketball as well.”

Putting in the work

Known for her discipline and detail-oriented approach, Buerk continues to put in the work needed to take the next step as a player.

“Just trying to be the best that I can be every single day, getting 1% better every single day,” she said.

Her trainer, Joseph Brooks owns the basketball gym Straight Buckets Performance and he sees that mentality every day.

“She’s one of the most diligent athletes that I’ve worked with,” he said. “Her attention to detail is one of the highest I’ve ever been to the athletes that I’ve worked with. Her understanding of what she’s doing, she really wants to understand everything that we’re doing, the effect of how this is going to help her.”

Buerk is also a Stephen Curry Scholar, which gives her access to a broad network of athletes and Davidson alumni.

But being part of that community comes with expectations—especially in the classroom.

“It’s not high school, especially not at Davidson,” she said. “In high school I could just kind of do whatever academically and still get really good grades. I didn’t necessarily need to put in a whole bunch of work on the side, but at Davidson you really do need to do that and go above and beyond.”

The 2023 6A State Champion with Clackamas High is heading into a crucial junior season, she knows her growth depends on embracing areas that once made her uncomfortable.

“I’m still learning is how to use my body and how to be physical and how to be comfortable hitting other people pretty hard. That’s something that growing up I never really did. It was never my favorite part of basketball.”

Now back on campus in North Carolina, Eliza Buerk is ready. Ready for a new season. Ready to lead. And ready to help Davidson chase its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.