New Basketball Coach

from December 2015

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Meet Basketball Coach Leslie Young Q How did your childhood affect who you are today? AI grew up in Kansas City and 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 Full-time coach and counseling intern, Young is new to Sion. BY ABBY SMITH AND TAYLOR SPIES QHow did you get started coaching? Where did you play in college and where did you coach? AI 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. really good players who went on to play Division I and do really good things so I had a lot of teammates that inspired me. Q What strengths do you see in the basketball team so far? AThey’re relentless and they know how to work hard.They are very high-achieving students. QIs coaching the basketball team similar to counseling in any way? AIt 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 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. Q Did you have any basketball influences or inspirations growing up? AYes, my brother was a huge influence. He won State his senior year so I felt Q What are your hopes for the season and school year? AI’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 that love into other people. So if I can do that, if I can get it so that it’s fun to play, I just want to bring that to the team. I want to learn from everyone around me, there are all incredible women in here that know what A 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 school and do well in life, then you’re a good counselor. Q Do you have a favorite motto or quote? very obligated to do the same. We had some they’re doing so I want to be a sponge and says, “Every blade of grass has someone really good basketball players at Pembroke soak up all that information and just keep whispering ‘grow’ to it,” something like that. that I was really inspired by. I played with on soaking. That’s one of my favorites.

Basketball Dominates Opener

Varsity conquers three-pointer only one shot Summit Christian Academy. later. Keane, in the second quarter, scored back to back with a lay-up followed by a BY ALEX D’ALESIO three-pointer. Sophomore WEB MANAGING EDITOR Meghan Frerking consistently nailed lay-ups

The Varsity Basketball to build Sion’s lead. team defeated Summit Aggressive defense Christian Academy 56-17 in and strategic passing led the first game of the season the team to victory. Before Nov. 23. The fast paced game a passionate countdown to felt like a buzzer-beater the end of the first quarter, because of the team’s ‘never sophomore Maddie Young quit’ attitude. fought on the ground and

Senior Rachael Beck wrenched the ball away set the game off to a quick from the opposing team to start after winning the tip- win a jump ball. off. Top scorers included “Coach always says our sophomore Sarah Totta best offense is good defense,” with 14 points and freshman Beck said. Ingrid Keane with nine As the ball slipped out points. of a Summit player’s hands,

“[Leading up to the sophomore Amaya Adams game,] I was very nervous stole it and drove down the and scared because it was court for a layup. my first time as head coach,” Throughout the game, Head Coach Leslie Young the team scored threesaid. “But once the ball goes pointers, fought for jump up in the air to tip, it’s just balls on the floor and calm for me.” intercepted passes to drive

Totta drilled a three- down the court. pointer to put Sion on the “They play really hard,” board first, scoring another Young said. “They’re gogetters. They’re fighters.”