Basketball-soccer crossover
reaps rewards at Wheaton North
By Chris Walker
Abby Wambach, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, National Soccer Hall of Fame member, six-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year winner and the highest all-time goal scorer for the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team also was one heck of a basketball player. And, get this, she wasn’t even a very good shooter.
While there are many kids, parents and coaches who advocate that athletes need that single-sport kind of discipline and attention in order to achieve their goals, there are just as many that promote and pursue the advantages of being a multi-sport athlete.
At Wheaton North, a handful of female athletes are showing just how successful they can be on the girls basketball court as well as on the girls soccer team. What makes it so interesting is that the two respective different sports and the coaches understand the benefits and are using it to their advantage.
“Girls basketball runs the soccer press, and coach (Dave) Eaton uses some of the soccer language with what they are trying to do,” said Wheaton North girls soccer coach Tim McEvilly. “We’re trying to use the same language so it would kind of click a little more quickly.”
Seniors Rachel Brady, Caroline Garner and Payten Yates and juniors Ella Kocher and Kayla Shebar played hoops in the winter and were all set to play soccer this spring for the Falcons before having their entire season upended and cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic. A couple of their basketball teammates, junior Julia Simon, a Louisville soccer commit, and sophomore Ally Brown, also are talented athletes in both sports who certainly have the talent to play on the Wheaton North soccer team, but do not.
“Tim McEvilly had talked before the season because I had some of his soccer kids and a couple others that are major Division I recruits,” Eaton said. “I was excited to see them play something else after basketball. We had a nice run in basketball and built something that could carry onto soccer.”
Eaton’s Falcons hoisted a regional plaque on Feb. 20 after beating Glenbard West 51-34 to win the Class 4A Glenbard West Regional. The Falcons forced more than 20 turnovers using their defense to keep their season alive. McEvilly made sure he was in Glen Ellyn to support the program, including several of the girls who he’d begin coaching a few weeks later.
“I felt a sense of pride watching the basketball team winning a regional at Glenbard West and watching all of our soccer players making such a big impact,” McEvilly said. “It got me excited for what they could do once they were out playing on the turf again.”
Defensively, the Falcons on the hardwood caused all sorts of problems, utilizing talents that they were looking to maintain on the soccer field. In basketball, the Falcons held 19 of 27 teams to 39 points or less.
The Falcons reset the record for fewest points averaged per game in a season, surrendering just 34.8 a game which shattered the old mark of 41.3 from 2016-2017.
The Falcons picked pockets all season long, which makes you wonder just how much the soccer team would have followed suit this spring. The Wheaton North hoops team also recorded 470 steals for a school record, but the scope was even more impressive. They reset the mark by 128 thefts.
“It was unbelievable what we were able to do,” Eaton said. “And one more record we had was for steals in a game with 32, beating the previous record of 28.”
Perfecting their movements and picking off passes, the Falcons also have had far more practice at defending.
“I think a lot of the defending, being able to contain someone one-on-one in soccer and guarding in basketball are the same kind of movements,” Kocher said. “You have to stay in front of them and not let them penetrate.”
The Falcons had two players break the record (68) for steals in the season, including Simon who nearly doubled it with 126.
“We played our ball press defensively, because we were so athletic,” Eaton said. “We were able to trap them and the dribble and what not, and since most of the kids had played soccer even more than basketball, we tried to use some of the same terminology. We put them in space and let them go and that seemed to flow for them. Rarely are sports so similar and a group like this so close together. I wanted to get a chance to see them play (soccer). They’re a fun group. I feel bad for them.”
While scoring on is generally minimal in soccer, seeing the field, which is much larger than the basketball court, is something basketball players can take to the pitch with them.
“Offensively I think basketball helps you see the field better,” Brady said. “Because we are taught to see the court and be court aware from a young age."
Yates said it’s been easy to transition to the different sports thanks to the coaches and their willingness to use their athleticism and knowledge of the games to their advantage.
“For me it’s hard to compare two such different sports, but both have such amazing coaches and the programs have grown so much at North,” Yates said. “In basketball we changed our ball press to emulate how we play soccer, and we benefited. Knowing our identity and what we could do was super helpful.”
The soccer Falcons returned from last year’s 8-14-1 campaign remembering the heartbreak of battling most teams from start to finish, only to come up on the short end most of the time. In 14 games decided by a goal or less, the Falcons went 2-11-1. On the flip side, they went 6-3-0 in their other nine matches. They were 1-3 in games that finished 1-nil, but had four shutouts while yielding 1.43 goals per game (33 goals in 23 games).
“We felt like we were ready for this season,” Shebar said. “We always feel that the basketball girls are in much more better shape even though basketball is more short spurts and little bursts of energy and soccer is more endurance. You need all types of conditioning for both sports, and it transfers really nicely. We’ve thought about that. It keeps us in shape so being in great basketball condition alone gave us a nice head start.”
A basketball player trotting out on the soccer field for the first time in March has a massive edge from a fitness and stamina standpoint.
“I think in basketball you get in and stay in shape while soccer is an endurance sport like no other,” Shebar. “Even though we know what it takes, we know a full 80 minutes is physically hard, and it’s mentally hard to stay in it for the full 80. But coming right off of the basketball season really helps.”
Shebar is the kind of person who doesn’t want a break. She was ready to go into soccer as soon as the basketball team lost to Geneva in a sectional game late in February.
“I don’t like the break, because I can get out of shape so the sports hold me accountable,” she said. “I think of it as a fresh start, even if we don’t finish on a high note. The basketball season is such a long journey until the end so starting a new sport is a fresh start.”
Among Wheaton North’s basketball/soccer athletes, some would list soccer as their top sport. Others would call basketball their no. 1, and some are sort of split between the two.
Obviously, for athletes like Brady and Simon, soccer is tops for them with college careers in their respective near futures. It’s the same feeling for Shebar, who explained that if you’re an athlete, you’re going to love every sport you play regardless of what it is, but you can still like some more than others, mut be committed to both in similar fashion.
“You seriously have got to love being an athlete to play two high school sports and if you do, you love every sport you do,” Shebar said. “From watching each other play you can’t tell (if someone prefers one sport over the other). They’re just trying to work hard. For me, soccer is a lifelong passion and basketball, I still love it, but it’s more of a workout for soccer.”
McEvilly acknowledged that seeing the girls in different roles on different teams helps these kids develop into more well-rounded athletes, especially since many of their roles have evolved over the years in soccer and basketball as well as in comparison to what they do for each sport.
“It’s been interesting to watch them,” he said. “Clearly some are more successful and play different roles on different teams where their skills happen to be."
Yates was one of those rare three-sport kids that was preoccupied with some sport at Wheaton North during every season during her four years. It just so happened that two of those sports were basketball and soccer and her skills transferred well into making her the player she was on the hardwood and the artificial green stuff at Rexilius Field. She also played volleyball for two years, played tennis last year and ran cross country in the fall.
“I enjoyed doing multiple, different sports and keeping healthy,” she said. “Basketball and soccer are really just body movement and staying low to the ground. It’s all the same body movements so it’s really beneficial to both (sports).”
While the games might be different, a great leader on a team can likely bring a team together and lead them regardless if it’s a team Easter egg hunt, team-building event at an escape room or old school arcade games. Eaton gave a lot of credit to Brady for seizing control of the basketball team in early December and helping lead them to a 20-win season and a regional title.
“We wouldn’t have had the record we had without her leadership and being able to push them while being so supportive of them and doing whatever we asked,” Eaton said. “She would fight like crazy to get rebounds, to keep balls alive.
“The coolest part for me on the outside looking in as a coach, is the respect the girls have for her. She’s a tremendous person, and she has a great family behind her. She brought the girls closer. Her work ethic is tremendous. She didn’t take a rep off if she played one minute or every minute. She’s a really special kid to get to coach.”
Brady explained that she treats her dual-sport teammates the same regardless if they’re playing basketball or soccer.
“I expect them to perform at the best of their ability no matter which sport we’re paying,” she said. “We are all the same both sports.”
Tremendous dual-sport basketball/soccer players are not an anomaly at Wheaton North.
The Falcons have had some incredible athletes over the years that have shined in both sports, most moving on to play at the college level. The list includes Jaime Orweiler, who remains the all-time program leader in goals (25) and assists (17) in a season. She played at Wheaton College where she finished her career in the Top 10 in school history in goals and assists. Michelle Scandora, who finished a great soccer career at DePaul in 2011, played volleyball and basketball at Wheaton North, while Allie Cerone and Hannah Swider are a couple other recent former Falcons to make an impact on the pitch and hardwood before focusing solely on basketball at Hope College and Wheaton College respectively.
“We’ve gone through different numbers at different periods of times and sometimes have had a large number of girls and at other periods there have been kids specializing,” McEvilly said. “A few years ago Hannah Swider was playing basketball and she played varsity soccer the entire time at Wheaton North so she set an example than many kids realize as freshmen that they can do both.”
Perhaps the basketball rosters for both the girls basketball and soccer teams will remain peppered with the same athletes for years to come. It certainly would be good news for Eaton and McEvilly, at least based on the recent success of their multi-sport kids.
“I think we’re going to continue seeing a good number of soccer and basketball kids at the lower levels,” McEvilly said. “And I know there are some other girls who have played basketball that may come out and play soccer and may keep the trend going.”
reaps rewards at Wheaton North
By Chris Walker
Abby Wambach, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, National Soccer Hall of Fame member, six-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year winner and the highest all-time goal scorer for the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team also was one heck of a basketball player. And, get this, she wasn’t even a very good shooter.
While there are many kids, parents and coaches who advocate that athletes need that single-sport kind of discipline and attention in order to achieve their goals, there are just as many that promote and pursue the advantages of being a multi-sport athlete.
At Wheaton North, a handful of female athletes are showing just how successful they can be on the girls basketball court as well as on the girls soccer team. What makes it so interesting is that the two respective different sports and the coaches understand the benefits and are using it to their advantage.
“Girls basketball runs the soccer press, and coach (Dave) Eaton uses some of the soccer language with what they are trying to do,” said Wheaton North girls soccer coach Tim McEvilly. “We’re trying to use the same language so it would kind of click a little more quickly.”
Seniors Rachel Brady, Caroline Garner and Payten Yates and juniors Ella Kocher and Kayla Shebar played hoops in the winter and were all set to play soccer this spring for the Falcons before having their entire season upended and cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic. A couple of their basketball teammates, junior Julia Simon, a Louisville soccer commit, and sophomore Ally Brown, also are talented athletes in both sports who certainly have the talent to play on the Wheaton North soccer team, but do not.
“Tim McEvilly had talked before the season because I had some of his soccer kids and a couple others that are major Division I recruits,” Eaton said. “I was excited to see them play something else after basketball. We had a nice run in basketball and built something that could carry onto soccer.”
Eaton’s Falcons hoisted a regional plaque on Feb. 20 after beating Glenbard West 51-34 to win the Class 4A Glenbard West Regional. The Falcons forced more than 20 turnovers using their defense to keep their season alive. McEvilly made sure he was in Glen Ellyn to support the program, including several of the girls who he’d begin coaching a few weeks later.
“I felt a sense of pride watching the basketball team winning a regional at Glenbard West and watching all of our soccer players making such a big impact,” McEvilly said. “It got me excited for what they could do once they were out playing on the turf again.”
Defensively, the Falcons on the hardwood caused all sorts of problems, utilizing talents that they were looking to maintain on the soccer field. In basketball, the Falcons held 19 of 27 teams to 39 points or less.
The Falcons reset the record for fewest points averaged per game in a season, surrendering just 34.8 a game which shattered the old mark of 41.3 from 2016-2017.
The Falcons picked pockets all season long, which makes you wonder just how much the soccer team would have followed suit this spring. The Wheaton North hoops team also recorded 470 steals for a school record, but the scope was even more impressive. They reset the mark by 128 thefts.
“It was unbelievable what we were able to do,” Eaton said. “And one more record we had was for steals in a game with 32, beating the previous record of 28.”
Perfecting their movements and picking off passes, the Falcons also have had far more practice at defending.
“I think a lot of the defending, being able to contain someone one-on-one in soccer and guarding in basketball are the same kind of movements,” Kocher said. “You have to stay in front of them and not let them penetrate.”
The Falcons had two players break the record (68) for steals in the season, including Simon who nearly doubled it with 126.
“We played our ball press defensively, because we were so athletic,” Eaton said. “We were able to trap them and the dribble and what not, and since most of the kids had played soccer even more than basketball, we tried to use some of the same terminology. We put them in space and let them go and that seemed to flow for them. Rarely are sports so similar and a group like this so close together. I wanted to get a chance to see them play (soccer). They’re a fun group. I feel bad for them.”
While scoring on is generally minimal in soccer, seeing the field, which is much larger than the basketball court, is something basketball players can take to the pitch with them.
“Offensively I think basketball helps you see the field better,” Brady said. “Because we are taught to see the court and be court aware from a young age."
Yates said it’s been easy to transition to the different sports thanks to the coaches and their willingness to use their athleticism and knowledge of the games to their advantage.
“For me it’s hard to compare two such different sports, but both have such amazing coaches and the programs have grown so much at North,” Yates said. “In basketball we changed our ball press to emulate how we play soccer, and we benefited. Knowing our identity and what we could do was super helpful.”
The soccer Falcons returned from last year’s 8-14-1 campaign remembering the heartbreak of battling most teams from start to finish, only to come up on the short end most of the time. In 14 games decided by a goal or less, the Falcons went 2-11-1. On the flip side, they went 6-3-0 in their other nine matches. They were 1-3 in games that finished 1-nil, but had four shutouts while yielding 1.43 goals per game (33 goals in 23 games).
“We felt like we were ready for this season,” Shebar said. “We always feel that the basketball girls are in much more better shape even though basketball is more short spurts and little bursts of energy and soccer is more endurance. You need all types of conditioning for both sports, and it transfers really nicely. We’ve thought about that. It keeps us in shape so being in great basketball condition alone gave us a nice head start.”
A basketball player trotting out on the soccer field for the first time in March has a massive edge from a fitness and stamina standpoint.
“I think in basketball you get in and stay in shape while soccer is an endurance sport like no other,” Shebar. “Even though we know what it takes, we know a full 80 minutes is physically hard, and it’s mentally hard to stay in it for the full 80. But coming right off of the basketball season really helps.”
Shebar is the kind of person who doesn’t want a break. She was ready to go into soccer as soon as the basketball team lost to Geneva in a sectional game late in February.
“I don’t like the break, because I can get out of shape so the sports hold me accountable,” she said. “I think of it as a fresh start, even if we don’t finish on a high note. The basketball season is such a long journey until the end so starting a new sport is a fresh start.”
Among Wheaton North’s basketball/soccer athletes, some would list soccer as their top sport. Others would call basketball their no. 1, and some are sort of split between the two.
Obviously, for athletes like Brady and Simon, soccer is tops for them with college careers in their respective near futures. It’s the same feeling for Shebar, who explained that if you’re an athlete, you’re going to love every sport you play regardless of what it is, but you can still like some more than others, mut be committed to both in similar fashion.
“You seriously have got to love being an athlete to play two high school sports and if you do, you love every sport you do,” Shebar said. “From watching each other play you can’t tell (if someone prefers one sport over the other). They’re just trying to work hard. For me, soccer is a lifelong passion and basketball, I still love it, but it’s more of a workout for soccer.”
McEvilly acknowledged that seeing the girls in different roles on different teams helps these kids develop into more well-rounded athletes, especially since many of their roles have evolved over the years in soccer and basketball as well as in comparison to what they do for each sport.
“It’s been interesting to watch them,” he said. “Clearly some are more successful and play different roles on different teams where their skills happen to be."
Yates was one of those rare three-sport kids that was preoccupied with some sport at Wheaton North during every season during her four years. It just so happened that two of those sports were basketball and soccer and her skills transferred well into making her the player she was on the hardwood and the artificial green stuff at Rexilius Field. She also played volleyball for two years, played tennis last year and ran cross country in the fall.
“I enjoyed doing multiple, different sports and keeping healthy,” she said. “Basketball and soccer are really just body movement and staying low to the ground. It’s all the same body movements so it’s really beneficial to both (sports).”
While the games might be different, a great leader on a team can likely bring a team together and lead them regardless if it’s a team Easter egg hunt, team-building event at an escape room or old school arcade games. Eaton gave a lot of credit to Brady for seizing control of the basketball team in early December and helping lead them to a 20-win season and a regional title.
“We wouldn’t have had the record we had without her leadership and being able to push them while being so supportive of them and doing whatever we asked,” Eaton said. “She would fight like crazy to get rebounds, to keep balls alive.
“The coolest part for me on the outside looking in as a coach, is the respect the girls have for her. She’s a tremendous person, and she has a great family behind her. She brought the girls closer. Her work ethic is tremendous. She didn’t take a rep off if she played one minute or every minute. She’s a really special kid to get to coach.”
Brady explained that she treats her dual-sport teammates the same regardless if they’re playing basketball or soccer.
“I expect them to perform at the best of their ability no matter which sport we’re paying,” she said. “We are all the same both sports.”
Tremendous dual-sport basketball/soccer players are not an anomaly at Wheaton North.
The Falcons have had some incredible athletes over the years that have shined in both sports, most moving on to play at the college level. The list includes Jaime Orweiler, who remains the all-time program leader in goals (25) and assists (17) in a season. She played at Wheaton College where she finished her career in the Top 10 in school history in goals and assists. Michelle Scandora, who finished a great soccer career at DePaul in 2011, played volleyball and basketball at Wheaton North, while Allie Cerone and Hannah Swider are a couple other recent former Falcons to make an impact on the pitch and hardwood before focusing solely on basketball at Hope College and Wheaton College respectively.
“We’ve gone through different numbers at different periods of times and sometimes have had a large number of girls and at other periods there have been kids specializing,” McEvilly said. “A few years ago Hannah Swider was playing basketball and she played varsity soccer the entire time at Wheaton North so she set an example than many kids realize as freshmen that they can do both.”
Perhaps the basketball rosters for both the girls basketball and soccer teams will remain peppered with the same athletes for years to come. It certainly would be good news for Eaton and McEvilly, at least based on the recent success of their multi-sport kids.
“I think we’re going to continue seeing a good number of soccer and basketball kids at the lower levels,” McEvilly said. “And I know there are some other girls who have played basketball that may come out and play soccer and may keep the trend going.”