Heidi Rathmann couldn’t have known her introduction to basketball would help her at the beginning of her Antioch career.

Rathmann said she got started with Faith Lutheran’s team when she was in fourth grade.

“I went to a small private school, where there were only eight kids in my grade,” she said. “They didn’t have enough players. There were (kids) from fifth to eighth grade, but I got to play on the team.

“It had nothing to do with my ability. I thought I was hot stuff, but I wasn’t very good. It was awesome to play with older girls. I had a very unreasonable amount of confidence. It motivated me.”

Rathmann quickly figured out what she had to do to get better.

“I learned in fourth grade that the only real way to be good is by practicing,” she said. “I knew back then that a lot of girls were in eighth grade. I would stay after practice and work with my coach on shooting and other stuff. I realized then that the extra effort made a huge difference. That kind of stuck with me.

“I knew I was younger than everybody else, and it helped with my confidence. Whatever struggles I had, I would just get in the gym and work it out.”

That certainly worked out for Rathmann, a nearly instant sensation as a freshman last season. The 6-foot guard scored 42 points against Lake Forest Academy in her fifth game last November and averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.6 steals for the Sequoits (16-12).

“I played so bad in our first (few) games,” she said. “It was scary because I was caught off guard by how big everybody was. I was going against girls who were 18. I’m tall and athletic, but I really didn’t have a chance to play against anybody bigger than me. I went home so disappointed. I had high expectations for the team and myself.”

But something clicked for Rathmann against Lake Forest Academy.

“I started to get settled in and got used to facing some tough competition,” she said. “Against Lake Forest Academy, it was back and forth all game. It was crazy. From that point, I felt I established myself on the team.”

Antioch first-year coach Jamie D’Andrea, a longtime assistant under former coach Tim Borries, said Rathmann has only scratched the surface as she begins her sophomore season.

“She came in as a young freshman,” D’Andrea said. “We have a current freshman who is older than Heidi is now as a sophomore. But her offense was always on point.

“I remember talking to her between classes after her 42-point game, telling her I didn’t think she was at her best that game. She wasn’t putting forth 100% effort in that game. She wasn’t mature enough to play both ends of the court for the entire game.”

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Rathmann spent the offseason playing for the Wolverinas, a high-level travel team. Jeramy Fisher, her Wolverinas coach and the father of former Libertyville star and current Maryland freshman Emily Fisher, said Rathmann is ready to take another big step this season.

“Heidi has always been a dynamic scorer and lights-out from the 3-point line, but last season she became a more dependable all-around player,” Jeramy Fisher said. “She was boxing out, playing help defense and taking care of the ball.”

The Sequoits are a young team, but D’Andrea has crafted a plan to better utilize Rathmann’s skill set.

“Heidi has excellent court awareness and a high basketball IQ,” D’Andrea said. “One of the things that’s going to happen this season is she’s going to develop as a defensive threat and take up a lot of space. She’s tall and lanky and knows how to use her body.”

Rathmann said she’s looking forward to the challenge, especially playing in a new, up-tempo system.

“I’m ready for us to push the ball up the floor and run,” she said.

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.