When they’re on the basketball court, Steinert’s Brenna Riddell wants Brooke Sinay out there as much as Sinay wants Riddell.
“Me and Brooke have very good chemistry,” Riddell said. “ I always see her and she’s always open and puts it in the net. She gives me assists.”
Sinay countered with: “I always say that I play better when Brenna is on the court. I literally would go up to (coach Kristin) Jacobs and say ‘I need Brenna here.’ She likes to get the ball in the paint, and I play so much better when she’s on the floor. She is very selfless and wants someone else to get the points.”
And while they like having each other, Jacobs likes having them both.
“I’ve had them (in travel ball) since seventh grade,” the coach said. “They know me, I know them. The expectations are there.
“Brenna has contributed to the varsity program since her freshman year and (Emily) Hardiman, Brooke and Brenna had starting roles as sophomores when we had a rash of injuries. They’ve been around and they really know what I expect of them as seniors and leaders. After graduating seven seniors last year both of them have stepped up at their respective positions.”
And both are more than just basketball players. They are lacrosse teammates as midfielders for the Spartans and also both played soccer for Steinert until Sinay sat out this past year. Their athleticism and chemistry, combined with a close friendship off the field and court, add to their effectiveness in competition.
“Even without sports, we’re best friends, we’re always together,” Sinay said. “I think that helps a lot. And with sports, we play midfield together for lacrosse, we were playing soccer together since we were five. After all these years we know how we like to play every sport and it helps.”
Through Steinert’s 7-4 start, Riddell led the team in assists (45) and steals (36), was tied for second in rebounds (4.8 per game) with prized freshman Katie Corby and third in scoring (5.9 points per game).
Although she leads in assists (Corby is second with 34), Riddell does not consider herself a true point guard.
“Honestly, I’m just a guard,” she said. “I’ll play anywhere. I used to be a specific point guard the last few years but there’s other people on the team that can handle the ball as well. That takes pressure off and I enjoy it. I’d rather be on the side and have someone else bring it up. But I’ll pass and contribute.”
Having Corby has been a big help.
“Katie brings a lot to the group,” Reddell continued. “We all just do something different. Sometimes the score doesn’t show it but we all work very hard and we work hard at practice. We always have to keep our tempo up. Sometimes it can get frustrating, you just have to keep your head in the game.”
Jacobs explained that she uses a two-point guard system with Corby and Riddell. While she would love to use Brenna strictly as an off guard to allow her more scoring opportunities, Riddell has too many good floor-general tendencies to ignore.
“Brenna is a ball handler, she’s best when she has the ball in her hand,” the coach said. “We try to really give her an opportunity to play off guard but she just sees the floor so well. There are times where she won’t shoot but have eight assists.
“She’s someone that you won’t necessarily see every single thing she does, but you don’t want to take her off the floor because you’re gonna miss that one thing — that steal, that deflection, that assist, that hockey assist — because she really sees everything as it develops and makes the right pass 95 percent of the time.”
Jacobs agrees with her guard that the addition of Corby has been a bonus for Riddell.
“Katie has made her so much more comfortable and freer because there are two of them to be able to operate the offense and we’ve really been asking her to shoot more,” Jacobs said. “She can shoot and score and get to the basket. Her duties are running the team but it’s definitely aided by having Katie out there.”
And while Riddell does her work on the perimeter, her buddy is posting up inside. As of Jan. 19 Sinay led the team in scoring (7.8) and rebounding (7.0) and has continued to improve since her freshman year.
“Brooke is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached,” Jacobs said. “She’s a perfectionist. She wants to make sure she does everything she can to finish inside. She wants to have her footwork right, she wants to be in the right position defensively. I’m proud of her maturation over the past four years.
“She’s the first one out on the court. She’s not a real vocal senior, but she gets out there every time and the other kids follow her. She’s been relentless on the court for us. She boxes out, and she’s really been attacking with the basketball. She just happens to be around the ball and takes the extra step to go get the rebound.”
Although Sinay stands around 5-7½, Jacobs tells people she is “5-10 basketball-wise.” That’s what happens when a girl works hard to gain possession for her team underneath the basket.
“I’ve always been more of a rebounder,” Brooke said. “I have a little bit of trouble finishing. Obviously I’m looking to score but my goal is rebounds. I know there are other girls that have the height and can score out there.
“I definitely think I’ve improved a lot since last year. I’m hitting the boards a lot more than last year. I’m getting a little more playing time. One of my friends (Carley Krajcsovics) played last year and we competed a lot with each other. Now that she’s not here I’m getting a lot more rebounds.”
Aside from being familiar with each other, the two have also developed a strong relationship with Jacobs over the past six years.
“That helps,” Riddell said. “We’re all very close and she’s very easy to talk to about any concerns. She’s a big part of why we’re successful.”
Their biggest successes are in other sports, which Sinay feels helps when it comes to playing hoops.
“Basketball and lacrosse are so similar,” she said. “I went to a showcase in the summer with a club lacrosse team and some of the coaches said, ‘I can tell you’re a basketball player,’ because playing the defense goes hand in hand with both sports. It’s the same idea with the help defense.”
When asked her favorite sport, Riddell said it was soccer but then laughed and said, “Can I say that in a basketball story?”
Sure she can, especially since if she decides to play sports in college, it will be soccer for either King’s or Widener in Pennsylvania. Brenna is keeping her options open, however, as she is still toying with other schools where she would go strictly for academics.
Sinay is looking to play lacrosse in college and is still deciding. She has also gotten interest from several Pennsylvania schools.
“To have athletes that good and have them both be teammates in other sports, that just benefits the team overall,” Jacobs said.
And from listening to their talk, it benefits them just as much.
Steinert basketball players Brenna Riddell and Brooke Sinay. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
