5 minute read
Scholar-Athletes Score Big
ONYEKACHI (KACHI) NZEH ’23, Varsity Boys’ Basketball
George School is committed to helping students realize their dreams— as exceptional scholars, athletes, and human beings.
At George School, we strive to realize the potential of the individual and the community, helping students “let their lives speak” while they enrich, and are enriched by, a diverse peer group. This is even more true now, with the new Signature Academic Program and efforts to attract, educate, coach, advise, and prepare scholar-athletes who are serious about both sides of the hyphen. “If you build it, they will come” applies not only to the school’s impressive athletics facilities, but to a multifaceted program for students interested in playing sports at the college level.
Varsity Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Ben Luber came to George School in fall 2019 after playing, coaching, and recruiting at universities. He liked that “academics are a priority, and being a good person and serving the community are pillars of George School,” and he felt he could develop a program to work with “students who have ambitions” and “love the game of basketball that I love.” Kachi Nzeh ’23 was a 6’8” multisport athlete, with joints that ached from running track and a 7’3” wingspan that foretold his ultimate home on the basketball court. Alerted by a local scout, Ben invited Kachi to practice on campus.
“He showed me the gym and the weight room,” remembers Kachi, “and I thought ‘This is insane.’” But what ultimately drew Kachi to George School was a future learning under— while towering over—Coach Ben, who had “earned a reputation for individual player development,” according to an article about both of them in the Delaware County Daily Times.
Kachi says simply, “Coach Ben is really a teacher. He’s trying to help me get better as a person and as a player. Once I saw coach Ben’s character, I thought there have to be more people like him at George School.” With the support of his parents—who put a premium on academics— Kachi became a George School boarding student.
PRIYANKA (PRI) PONNAM ’25, Varsity Girls’ Basketball
A year after Ben arrived, La’Keisha Sutton joined the coaching faculty, having been both a collegiate and professional player, including on the Harlem Globetrotters, and running Fan Favorite, a basketball training facility in Hamilton, New Jersey. (Fan Favorite was her nickname.)
“I went to private school,” explains La’Keisha, “and I know how it changed my life.” She talked to Athletic Director Kurt Ruch and her now assistant coach and Director of DEI Rachel Williams, adding, “Diversity is what drew me. I was sold on the challenge of creating a respectable program. I looked at it as an opportunity to build something special, to make academics synonymous with sports.”
Among those La’Keisha trained at Fan Favorite was Priyanka Ponnam ’25, a standout middle school student who was looking for a high school with great athletic and academic preparation.
“As soon as I came here, I loved it,” says Pri. “Classes are good. I meet so many people, and there are so many opportunities to explore and find yourself.” Now a freshman, she has her sights set on a Division I college and has already garnered their attention. “We have started talking about schools,” she explains, “but mainly it’s been me thinking about what I’m looking for. As I get older, that’ll be a group effort.” Ultimately, it always comes down to a group effort at George School, because helping athletes attain their postsecondary dreams is as much about working together as about training individuals. In fact, several of Kachi and Pri’s teammates—Gestin Liberis ’22, Christian Bliss ’24, Paiyton Penn ’22, and Sophia Martinez ’24, to name a few—are also looking to continue basketball. They play together in spring leagues and summer showcases—with the school’s support— and are getting noticed.
The George School squads are tight. The boys’ team’s mantra, “all in,” refers not only to their solo commitment but to giving their all for each other. On the girls’ team, karaoke battles and dance contests “create a culture,” says La’Keisha. “It’s bigger than basketball. It’s about relationships.”
Athletic, academic, and residential faculty are all part of the team. “Everyone is willing to help us,” says Kachi, citing advisor Becky Hutchins, Director of Learning Center Services Minnie Lee, and Coach Ben as helping with everything from study skills to getting enough sleep to “telling me the truth, even if I don’t want to hear it.”
School support is not limited to basketball. Across sports from football to equestrian to track and field, coaches are not only helping their athletes develop playing skills. They are helping
NEHA KOTHA ’22, Varsity Girls’ Track & Field
those interested in playing collegiately to get noticed at regional competitions and showcases and advising them about prospective colleges. One such coach-mentor is Varsity Track Head Coach Mike Bailey, who is also the dorm head for Upper Drayton. Mike challenges his athletes who are thinking about continuing their track careers to do their homework on each college: “How would they fit into the team? Will their event and PR [personal record] make a difference for that team? How would they compete with the other teams in that school’s league?” Once they have a plan, he accompanies them to events where their abilities can be seen.
More important than hurdling technique and recruiting advice, however, Mike imparts his wisdom. “The things that I teach my track team are the same things I teach in the dorm,” he acknowledges, reinforcing what all George School coaches say: that coursework and character are primary. “First and foremost, excel in your classes because that’s why you’re here,” says La’Keisha. They know, as does Kachi, that “the ball will eventually stop bouncing.”
As the years go by, recruitment heats up and the support team expands again, to include College Counseling. “We encourage our athletic recruits to consider their academic goals and their athletic goals,” describes Associate Director Rachael Polton, noting that most, but clearly not all, of “our athletes tend to pursue athletics at Division III schools. Depending on the division, their recruitment process will look different. By understanding students’ goals (and the timeline those goals might require), we can partner with our coaches to identify schools or opportunities that suit their aspirations and keep them on track.”
With dedicated coaches by their—and their families’—sides to cut through the recruitment noise, assess programs, and find the right fit, these scholar-athletes will be ready for what comes next. “Our students are very mature,” says Ben. “They’re in control. I just help them steer the wheel so they can make their own decisions in the end.”
In building the program, George School is committed not only to attracting a diverse student body, but to helping them realize their dreams—as exceptional scholars, athletes, and human beings.
