Recruiting Character: Kindness Matters – Part 2

<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Extraordinary kindness and fierce competitiveness can coexist.”</em> – Alan Gibson</p> In the spirit of the <a href="https://chsaanow.com/news/2021/11/24/girls-basketball-kindness-matters-foundation-game-has-meaning-on-and-off-the-court.aspx">First Annual Kindness Matters Foundation Games</a> that were played at Lakewood High School on November 20th, it's a great time to release Part Two of our series on Recruiting Character. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2021/10/recruiting-character-kindness-matters-part-1/">If you missed Part One, check it out here.</a> As top players and high-character leaders, these prospects make both their teams and communities better: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="207137" first="Jennifer" last="Jaramillo"] - Skyview <ul> <li>Many athletes today have family support that revolves around their every need. Others need to work harder for their success. Jaramillo works spare jobs and helps out at home while leading her ROTC group and captaining the basketball and track teams. Skyview coach, Chris Kemm, has been amazed at seeing her face personal challenges that would make many kids quit. Instead, she's become more focused according to her teammates and she's grown into an amazing leader who treats everyone as equals. Her hard work is paying off as the 6'2" senior has become a force of a player inside for the Wolverines.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Kat Blakesley - Lewis-Palmer <ul> <li>For Kat Blakesley, actions speak louder than words. Lewis-Palmer coach, Kristy Youngpeter says, "Kat is the first person to volunteer to work with kids. And the first to offer a ride or cover a meal so others feel included in the group. She's the first to ask how your day way, first to wrap her arm around you on a bad day, and the first to celebrate your success!" The 5'11" junior moves into a starting role for what will be a very competitive Rangers team this year.</li> </ul> </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="117689" first="Amaya" last="Charles"] - Grandview <ul> <li>Having been overshadowed on such a deep Grandview team, it's now [player_tooltip player_id="117689" first="Amaya" last="Charles"]' turn for the spotlight as she'll be running the show as point guard for one of the state's top teams. Coach Josh Ulitzky was excited to recommend her for this list. He says, "Amaya is the quintessential point guard with off the charts smarts coupled with great ability. She sees things that you want your point guard to see and she makes sure everyone gets involved." Ulitzky went on to call the 4.0 senior an "exceptional leader."</li> </ul> </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="117694" first="Maggie" last="Dooley"] - Holy Family <ul> <li>You know you're an impactful person when a coach as legendary as Ron Rossi recommends you for a character piece. A 6'3" senior, [player_tooltip player_id="117694" first="Maggie" last="Dooley"] will anchor Holy Family's defense this year and dissect opponents with her pick and roll game. Her club coach, Gabriela Jimenez, says, "Maggie is the teammate who makes everyone feel welcome and puts the needs of her team above her own. She's a fantastic basketball player but more importantly, she's a fantastic young woman who handles anything that life throws at her with grace and kindness."</li> </ul> </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="210369" first="Sophie" last="Christopher"] - Broomfield <ul> <li>On a Broomfield team made of high character kids, one stands out for the Eagles. Assistant Coach, Zach Holton, observes, "Largely due to the NBA and how star focused it is, the club circuits have gotten far too focused on the individual. As a result, a lot of star players are tough to coach and come with a lot of baggage. What makes Sophie so refreshing is how humble and unassuming she is. If you observed our team off the court, you'd never guess that Sophie is one of our best players." He added, "She's not flashy. She never puts herself above her teammates in any way." Christopher has the ball handling skills of a high level recruit and the junior have the ball in her hands a lot this year for the Eagles.</li> </ul> </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="216656" first="Jacy" last="Chandler"] - Littleton <ul> <li>Humble off the court and versatile on it, Chandler is perfect for this list. You'll be seeing her name a lot more as she has had a terrific off-season emerging as a true inside/outside threat as a 5'10" sophomore. Lions' Head Coach Adam Williams says, "Despite being an intense competitor, Jacy is always kind to everyone in our program and works to lift others up. It has been fun to watch her love for the game of basketball grow exponentially since she started playing with us as a 5th grader."</li> </ul> </li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="117722" first="Edie" last="Morrow"] - Mead <ul> <li>Morrow fits the bill for top players who are high-character leaders. Her coach, JR Sagner, mentioned, "Edie was willing to help all our younger players at tryouts. She will have a huge breakout season and will lead our team in a lot of categories." Sagner was backed up by those younger players who said at the end of tryouts that Morrow was the nicest teammate and most encouraging. The 5'11" senior found a home at Mead last year after starting her career at Erie. She did a lot of everything for the Mavericks with 11.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.3 SPG, and 2.2 APG.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> &nbsp; &nbsp;