SPORTS
Meet Basketball Coach Leslie Young Full-time coach and counseling intern, Young really good players who went on to play is new to Sion. Division I and do really good things so I had
BY ABBY SMITH AND TAYLOR SPIES
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How did your childhood affect who you are today?
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a lot of teammates that inspired me.
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I played in college at Washington University in St. Louis. But I’ve been coaching probably since high school. I used to do clinics and stuff at the Jewish Community Center. It’s just always been in my blood. Before Sion I coached at MidAmerica Nazarene. I was the assistant coach. And before that I was the assistant at Wash U.
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Is coaching the basketball team similar to counseling in any way?
It all overlaps. I think coaching is 90 percent counseling and 10 percent basketball knowledge. And both of them are about building relationships. So if you can do that, you can empower your team to accomplish goals. And if you can empower the students to feel confident and do well in What are your hopes for the sea- school and do well in life, then you’re a good counselor.
son and school year?
I’m really excited just about being in this environment and making an impact, and I would say, for the season. I love the game of basketball. I love infusing Did you have any basketball that love into other people. So if I can do influences or inspirations that, if I can get it so that it’s fun to play, I growing up? just want to bring that to the team. I want Yes, my brother was a huge influence. to learn from everyone around me, there are He won State his senior year so I felt all incredible women in here that know what very obligated to do the same. We had some they’re doing so I want to be a sponge and really good basketball players at Pembroke soak up all that information and just keep that I was really inspired by. I played with on soaking.
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What strengths do you see in the basketball team so far?
They’re relentless and they know how to work hard.They are very high-achieving students.
How did you get started coaching? Where did you play in I grew up in Kansas City and college and where did you coach?
attended Pembroke from second grade on. That affected me because Pembroke was a very good, academic school, and so academics have always been important to me. I grew up as a younger sister of a brother who’s four years older, and I was super competitive, and that affected me because he played basketball. So I had to play basketball to be better than him. Combine those two, and that’s how I became a basketball coach. And I’m just interested in the whole schoolcounseling role as well and helping kids become the best they can be.
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Do you have a favorite motto or quote?
So, the cheesy one would be “Dance like no one’s watching you,” or something. Do you know what one I’m talking about? One of my teammates gave that one to me in college as a diary. But also, I’m Jewish, and from the Torah, there’s a quote that says, “Every blade of grass has someone whispering ‘grow’ to it,” something like that. That’s one of my favorites.
Basketball Dominates Opener Varsity conquers three-pointer only one shot Summit Christian later. Keane, in the second quarter, scored back to back Academy. with a lay-up followed by a BY ALEX D’ALESIO WEB MANAGING EDITOR
The Varsity Basketball team defeated Summit Christian Academy 56-17 in the first game of the season Nov. 23. The fast paced game felt like a buzzer-beater because of the team’s ‘never quit’ attitude. Senior Rachael Beck set the game off to a quick start after winning the tipoff. Top scorers included sophomore Sarah Totta with 14 points and freshman Ingrid Keane with nine points. “[Leading up to the game,] I was very nervous and scared because it was my first time as head coach,” Head Coach Leslie Young said. “But once the ball goes up in the air to tip, it’s just calm for me.” Totta drilled a threepointer to put Sion on the board first, scoring another
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three-pointer. Sophomore Meghan Frerking consistently nailed lay-ups to build Sion’s lead. Aggressive defense and strategic passing led the team to victory. Before a passionate countdown to the end of the first quarter, sophomore Maddie Young fought on the ground and wrenched the ball away from the opposing team to win a jump ball. “Coach always says our best offense is good defense,” Beck said. As the ball slipped out of a Summit player’s hands, sophomore Amaya Adams stole it and drove down the court for a layup. Throughout the game, the team scored threepointers, fought for jump balls on the floor and intercepted passes to drive down the court. “They play really hard,” Young said. “They’re gogetters. They’re fighters.”
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1. Sophomore Meghan Frerking guards Summit Christian sophomore Abigail Nelson. 2. Junior Marie Orrick dribbles around Summit Christian junior Carmen Fanning. 3. Sophomore Aidan McEnerney showed spirit in the stands during the game. 4. Junior Chloe Long goes for a layup while Summit Christian freshman Sophie Schooley guards. (Photos by Sophie Nedelco)
