Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Paisley Binswanger

If the final season of Paisley Binswanger's high school career is anything like those of years past, something special could be brewing. The 5-foot-8 senior guard and Samford signee surpassed 1,000 career points in December 2024 and crossed 500 rebounds in January 2025. As of Dec. 7, she's averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game — all team-high marks — for Sarasota High girls basketball (2-4). Binswanger is the Sarasota Athlete of the Week.

When and why did you start playing basketball?

My mom (Ali Binswanger) actually played at Florida State, so she's my inspiration with that. I played other sports for a while when I was younger, but when I found basketball, it was just my thing. Loved it.

What's driven you to stick with the sport after all these years?

The biggest thing is I just have fun playing. I have a lot of hobbies, but this is more than a hobby to me. I live this game. I wake up thinking about basketball.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?

Honestly, just the relationships I've formed with my teammates. As much as I love basketball, I love the people it's brought me more. I've actually had three coaches at Sarasota High (Sara Nuxol, Radhika Miller and David Gaulman), and I feel like every year, I've had a genuine relationship with my coaches. But especially in the past two years, coach Sara has done so much for me — to build me as a point guard to get ready for Samford and for college.

Why is Samford the right fit for you and this next step of your basketball journey?

It's a Christian university — that was the biggest deal to me. I'm a really strong person by faith and I want to go somewhere where they build me as a Christian and not just as a player. The women's basketball program, specifically, really sticks to that.

What are your goals for your senior season with Sarasota?

I want to win the district championship because we haven't done that yet. We made it to the championship my freshman year and lost to Venice. That's my biggest goal. I think we can do it this year, we have a really strong team, and I'm so happy with the progress we've already made from the beginning of the year to now. So I think by the time February comes around, we'll be an even stronger team. Individually, my two goals are 300 assists and 1,500 points. I'm probably a little less than 200 away from 1,500 and 30 or so assists from 300.

What's one quote or piece of advice that you've always carried with you?

"Don't let anything hold you back." I had a goal of playing college basketball at the highest level I could, and I know throughout high school, if I had chosen to do different things with my time, then I probably wouldn't be where I am. If you have a goal, you can't let anything get in your way of that.

If you could meet any professional athlete, who would it be and why?

Paige Bueckers. She's an awesome player, but I think she's an even better person. How she carries the weight of being so popular and also being such a genuine person and she cares for her teammates. I saw in an interview that she wakes up extra early to cook for a foreign teammate or something like that.

(Editor's note: She cooked for her Egyptian teammate, who was celebrating Ramadan and couldn't eat after sunrise.)

What's your go-to music during practice or before a game?

Recently, it's actually been "My Shot" from Hamilton or I like to listen to Forrest Frank.

Finish this sentence. Paisley Binswanger is...

A follower of Christ.