Jordan senior Madison Dean recently became the third girls’ basketball player in school history to eclipse 2,000 career points.

Dean joins Brittany Chambers (2,826) and Leah Dietel (2,478) in reaching the milestone. She is averaging 27 points per game this year.

“She has worked extremely hard to get to where she is at today,” Jordan coach Greg Dietel said. “I would call Maddy a basketball junkie, as she is always in the gym working on her game.”

The two-time Minnesota River Conference player of the year is headed to Drake. Here is a closer look at Dean:

Q: What is the best movie you’ve seen in the last year?

A: “Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

Q: Three words or phrases my friends or teammates might use to describe me?

A: Funny; competitive; surprisingly smart.

Q: How did you get started playing basketball?

A: My dad and grandpa always took me to the gym as a little kid to practice basketball. I fell in love with basketball and always seemed to have good instincts for the game.

Q: What did you work on most prior to the start of the basketball season?

A: My all-around game. I’m really trying to focus on defense and foot speed.

Q: What are your goals for the remainder of the basketball season?

A: I want to be the best all-around player I can to help my team win. We are a very young team, and it is important for me to be a leader for our younger players. I also want to help better prepare myself for college-level basketball.

Q: At my first varsity practice, I felt …

A: ... really nervous. I was an eighth-grader walking onto a court with seniors, and I was really intimidated. It turned out to be one of the most fun basketball seasons I’ve ever had.

Q: To get focused for a game, I …

A: ... have a home-cooked dinner after school; have a shoot around before the junior varsity game; talk to my team about the opponent’s tendencies while we watch the junior varsity game, and stretch before the game.

Q: What is your most memorable moment as an athlete?

A: Scoring [a school record] 48 points in a win against Watertown-Mayer on Dec. 13, 2011. It was our first game against them when they joined the Minnesota River Valley Conference and their star player was Marissa Janning, who became Miss Basketball in 2012.

Q: How do you balance school and sports during the year?

A: It’s tough for any student-athlete. My parents have always pushed me to focus on academics before athletics and that has helped me develop a good balance. I’d rather go to basketball practice than study for a math test, but I know that they are both important.

Q: If you could change one thing about high school sports, what would it be?

A: I would love it if high school basketball would have a shot clock. A faster-paced game is much more fun and exciting. It would add another layer of strategy to the games.

Q: Do you have a secret talent – and if so, what is it?

A: Playing cards with my aunts and uncles. I dominate.

Q: What is the best sports advice you ever received?

A: Always give 100 percent effort and, most importantly, have fun.

RON HAGGSTROM