By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ava Coleman started playing varsity basketball for Scott High School when she was in the seventh grade. Her scoring and rebounding averages improved each year until a second knee injury sidetracked her promising career.
Coleman missed her entire junior season following surgery to repair a torn ACL in her left knee and months of rehabilitation. But she returned for her senior season and played in 30 games, averaging 4.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Eagles.
Scott senior Ava Coleman is one of five Northern Kentucky high school athletes named to the All-Resilient Team.
Her remarkable comeback did not go unnoticed. Coleman is one of 28 Kentucky high school athletes named to the 2023 All-Resilient Team who will be honored during the Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association awards banquet on April 27 in Louisville.
Each year, high school athletic directors nominate athletes who overcome adversity or obstacles for the All-Resilient Team. The project is sponsored by sportscaster Tom Leach and Midway University.
The list of local award-winners this year also includes Blake Folke of Covington Catholic, Jeramiah Israel of Lloyd, Vinny Petroze of Newport Central Catholic and Robbie Verst of Brossart.
Coleman said she didn’t know anything about the All-Resilient Team until the athletic directer at Scott asked her to fill out a nomination form. She explained how she tore the ACL in her left knee playing basketball as a freshman and did it again playing soccer as a junior.
Her main focus during months of grueling rehab was getting back on the basketball court for her senior season.
“Being able to play (basketball) so young on the varsity level in middle school made me take it really seriously,” she said. “I still liked soccer, but when I got hurt the second time I just wanted to play my senior year in basketball and didn’t want to risk it in soccer.”
Coleman said she played forward for most of her varsity basketball career. But the new head coach of the Scott girls basketball team, Eric Pouncy, decided to put the senior veteran at point guard this season.
“It was hard at first,” she said of taking on the new role of floor leader. “I had like a mental block about going to the basket, but through out the season I got more and more comfortable with it. By the end, I was able to to go to the basket and take contact, where before I was really afraid of that.”
Scott made it to the semifinals of the 10th Region tournament with Coleman at point guard. She was the team leader in assists and finished second in rebounds and free throw percentage.
Beechwood wins 9th Region All “A” Classic softball championship
Beechwood won its first 9th Region All “A” Classic championship in softball last week when the Tigers defeated three opponents by double-digit margins, including a 12-2 win over Newport Central Catholic in the title game.
Brooklyn McGuire
The top three players in Beechwood’s batting order — Addison Durrett, Lynden Noll and Katelynn Murphy — accounted for seven of their team’s 12 hits against NewCath. The RBI leaders for the Tigers were Durrett, Murphy had Alexis Engleman with two each.
Beechwood’s winning pitcher in all three games was Brooklyn McGuire. She’s one of six seniors on coach Mary Beth Odom’s roster. She took charge of the program last year and led the Tigers to a 15-18 record and berth in the 9th Region post-season tournament.
The Kentucky All “A” Classic state softball tournament is scheduled for April 29-30 at Jack Fisher Park in Owensboro. Region champions will compete in pool play on Friday with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the single-elimination championship tournament on Saturday.
Walton-Verona graduate has 2-0 record on the mound for Kentucky
Walton-Verona graduate Travis Smith has a 2-0 record in six starts on the mound for the University of Kentucky baseball team that’s off to a 25-3 start and jumped to No. 10 in Baseball America’s latest NCAA Division I national rankings.
Smith is a redshirt freshman who had Tommy John surgery and heart surgery in 2021, according to the UK baseball website. In six starts this season, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has given up 10 earned runs in 21 innings for a 4.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks.
The Wildcats won every game that Smith has started. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings against any opponent and 13 of the 16 hits he has given up were singles. He had a career-high six strikeouts against Murray State on March 7.
