After a strong freshman season for Air Force Academy, former Lady Warrior standout Briana Autrey is looking for more.

Most who had the freshman season Autrey had at Air Force might feel satisfied. She played in 18 games, starting in 13 of them, and averaged 8.3 points per game. She was fourth on the team in minutes played per game with 26.9. She also earned the Cadet Athlete of the Week honor once.

But even though she had a strong start to the season, Autrey felt she could have finished stronger.

“I think I had a great start to the season last year,” Autrey said. “But we all know college is different from high school, so other teams study your habits and tendencies. I think that contributed to how I finished the year, but I’m working on getting better at that.”

Playing at the NCAA Division I level is a tall task. However, Autrey knows she can’t settle with the status quo, so she has been working on a lot of counter moves over the summer and studying herself and reading defenses better as well.

“My coaches have done a great job studying my game,” she said. “They have given me drills to do to prepare for the season. I’ve been working on things like reading screens and just working on my moves in transition. The biggest thing is reading the defense and just taking what they give me.”

Autrey doesn’t have a set goal in mind for herself this season. All she wants to be is the best version of herself. Whatever comes with that, she will accept, whether it comes by way of accolades or team recognition.

“I want to be the best teammate and the best version of me I can be on and off the court,” she said. “Whatever accolades come with that is a bonus.”

At Nansemond River High School, Autrey was one of the top talents in South Hampton Roads. For the Lady Warriors, she was the fastest player to reach 1,000 career points. She was an All-Conference, All-District and All-Region selection in her time there. The No. 1 she wore during her tenure at Nansemond River was retired by the girls’ basketball program.