By Audrey Carrico
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ask anyone familiar with Covington Catholic senior Brady Hussey about his game and they’ll probably ask you which one.
A standout in both basketball and tennis, Hussey’s resume speaks for itself. On the hardwood, he averaged 13.7 points per game last season and scored over 1,000 points during his varsity career. On the hardcourt, he’s a three-time Region 9 singles champion and helped CovCath finish on top in last year’s state tournament team standings for the first time ever.
“Last year was great, we got to make history for our school,” Hussey said. “But you know the next year after you have all that success, it gets even harder.”
Hussey was named to state all-tournament teams in both basketball and tennis when he was a sophomore. He’s the first CovCath athlete in history to do that in the same school year.
The only accolade not on his resume is a state singles championship. Last year, he reached the state semifinals for a second time before coming up one win short of a title opportunity.
“It obviously wasn’t the result I wanted,” Hussey said. “I’m used to always playing catchup coming out of basketball season. I’m feeling really good this year and have the most confidence I’ve ever had in my tennis.”
The last CovCath tennis player to win a state single title was Hussey’s older brother, Austin, in 2013. He went on to collegiately at the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
The family’s past success doesn’t end there. In 1997, Brady’s mom, Kara Molony Hussey, and his aunt, Lyndsey Molony Maynard, were state champions in girls doubles. Today, Kara is recognized as the University of Cincinnati’s all-time winningest player and is honored in the university’s Hall of Fame.
For Brady, living up to the “family potential” is what motivates him both on and off the court.
“It would mean a lot to win a state title like my mom and brother did and ultimately to do it representing CovCath,” Hussey said. “I like my chances this year and I’m very happy about this end of the season.”
Hussey has worked alongside his mom, who is his personal coach, to get another shot at a state title. At CovCath, his mentor is Al Hertsenberg, a religion teacher who has been in charge of the tennis program since 1991.
“My mom and brothers have been there for me all throughout my high school career,” Hussey says. “All my coaches, especially coach Hertsenberg, have helped support me as well since I come in mid-season from basketball every year.”
With a shot at a state title in sight and high school graduation right around the corner, there are sure to be plenty of eyes on Hussey’s next move.
Drawing attention from college recruiters in two sports, he had a unique decision to make — commit to tennis, basketball or both.
“I’ve decided to play tennis in college,” he said. “Right now, I’m exploring my options and taking visits since I couldn’t during basketball season. I just met with Illinois this past weekend. I’ll be deciding sometime soon.”
For now, Hussey is focusing on the 9th Region tournament that starts Saturday at CovCath. Riding high off the success from last year, the Colonels head into the playoffs with an 11-1 record in regular season matches.
“This year we’ve got three freshmen who are making an impact on our team, including my little brother, Blake,” Hussey said. “It’s awesome to be playing with him on the team. You know, maybe we’ll be playing each other at regions or state.”
This will be the first year a separate state tournament for teams will be held. Last year, CovCath won the team title by scoring the most points in singles and doubles matches during the state tournament. The Colonels will get a chance to win another state title if they qualify for the team tournament June 3-4 at Berea College.
“Our team is all super excited to show the state what we got and chasing to go back-to-back state champs,” Hussey said.