Cedars, December 2017

SPORTS Poole’s Winding Journey to Varsity Basketball by Tim Miller W hen Kelly Poole and her family dropped her brother off for col- lege at Cedarville University each year, Poole said there was no way she would ever make Cedarville her home for college. Poole was uninterested in Cedarville for a number of reasons, including the 13-hour drive from campus to her home in Massa- chusetts. Poole, now a junior, lives at Cedarville University for about seven months of the year and is a major contributor to the wom- en’s basketball team. However, when Poole was a freshman, life on campus was mun- dane, and Poole wasn’t even a member of the varsity basketball team. Feeling out of place probably wasn’t something Poole was used to. She started on her 1,200-student high school basketball team in all four of her years and went a com- bined 85-8 while making two state tourna- ment runs. Poole was recruited by a number of schools in New England to play basketball during her college search. Cedarville’s new class of basketball players was already filled out, so Poole was offered a spot to play on the junior varsity team, which is not some- thing four-year starters dream about. “I never wanted to decide to go to a col- lege based on basketball,” Poole said. “But if I could play at the college I wanted to go to, that would’ve been awesome.” Even though Cedarville did not offer Poole a varsity spot, she reluctantly wound up choosing Cedarville to continue her edu- cation. She played on the JV team and was successful, but found herself homesick for much of her first semester. When her freshman JV season ended, Poole was ready to go back home for Christ- mas break. Life on campus felt miserable and lonely, as Poole was unable to make many connections to others. Prior to break, head coach Kari Hoff- man delivered a varsity offer to Poole. She considered the invitation, but joining varsi- ty meant she would only be home for one week during the break. “It was really hard for me to choose freshman year but I ended up saying no,” Poole said. “I don’t think I would’ve loved it if I had joined in my freshman year.” When the spring semester came, Poole spent time in open gyms with the varsity basketball team. Due to NCAA rules, coach Hoffman was not allowed to watch her play- ers, so senior forward Breanne Watterworth and junior guard Abby Wolford informed their coach of Poole’s open gym perfor- mances, Poole said. “I really enjoyed playing with the girls,” Poole said. “I talked to coach and she ended up having me do a tryout in my fall sopho- more year and that’s how I got on the team.” Junior guard Regina Hochstetler be- came one of Poole’s best friend off of the court. “We spend a lot of time together out- side of basketball and we’ve found that we’re very much alike,” Hochstetler said. “It’s been awesome to get to come alongside her throughout this transition and watching her grow both on and off the court.” Poole had low expectations when her sophomore season began. Expecting to be utilized as a practice player, Poole was thrown into the mix early in the season. She earned 22 minutes in the first game of the season and ended up seeing time in all 30 games with a pesky presence and as a scrap- py defender. “She can really bother people out there with her quickness,” Hochstetler said. “I was impressed how well she handled herself coming up like that.” Poole said her sophomore year was much improved compared to her freshman year, and her teammates were integral in her newfound enjoyment at Cedarville. “The basketball team had a huge im- pact on my life and has helped me grow in my faith,” Poole said. Now at the beginning of her junior sea- son, Poole’s playing time has dropped due to a loaded backcourt. Regardless, Poole will impact the team whether she gets two minutes or 20. “I’ve seen her grow as a basketball play- er, in her faith and in her relationships with everyone on the team and it’s been really cool to witness,” Hochstetler said. “Her joy- ful personality is contagious and I’m so hap- py she decided to join this team a year ago.” Poole may have never thought she’d be at Cedarville in the years before she came, and she at times wished she’d never chosen to attend the university during her first se- mester. However, two years later, Poole has grown in her faith and has encountered irre- placeable relationships. “It’s been really cool to see God work because it’s not something I ever thought would happen,” Poole said. “I know God put me here for a reason.” Tim Miller is a sophomore marketing ma- jor and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys having a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee and striving to be the optimal combi- nation of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swan- son. Photo by Lydia Wolterman Junior guard Kelly Poole is a scrappy defender on the court, beating out the opposing side with her quickness. December 2017 18