ELLIE VAN TASSEL AT A GLANCE

Family: Parents Jim and Kim; younger brother Ezra.

Favorite sport: Basketball

Favorite athlete: Detroit Pistons power forward Blake Griffin

Best sports moment: Scoring 19 points in the Flames’ 49-38 win over Merced in the first game of the Pitman Holiday Classic in Turlock. Van Tassel, who was named to the all-tournament team, also remembers getting a black eye in the game — yet doesn’t recall how she got it.

“I just remember everybody laughing at me, telling me it was going to look nice the next day,” Van Tassel said. Worst sports moment: How Van Tassel and Lodi could’ve had more wins in preseason, entering Thursday’s Tri-City Athletic League opener against Tracy. Lodi, which beat Tracy 50-46, is 1-0 in league and 9-8 overall.

Hobbies: Reading

Favorite restaurant: Smack Pie Pizza Must-see TV: The Fosters

Dream car: A new Jeep Wrangler

Dream vacation: Michigan, because she has family living in that state.

Famous person she’d like to meet: Rapper/singer Macklemore Future plans: After she graduates from Lodi High this spring, Van Tassel is planning to attend George Mason University in Fairfax County, Va. and major in English. In the future, she hopes to work as an editor for a publishing house.