Senior Homan helping BG as mentor this year
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When Leah Homan left the Altoona Mirror's Athlete of the Year Award Banquet last year at the Casino in Lakemont, she mentioned getting back to the state championship and winning another PIAA girls basketball title for her senior year.
The biggest obstacle in achieving that is that her four fellow starters, Teresa Haigh, Sophia Warner, Dani Scipioni and Aurielle Brunner were all about to graduate.
But Homan has embraced the challenge of getting the most out of this season and her new contributing teammates.
"I enjoyed winning a state championship so much with last year's team, but these girls want to succeed so badly," Homan said. "I feel like they don't get enough credit. I honestly want to prove people wrong, because I don't think a lot of people believe in us like they did last year. These girls have what it takes."
Bishop Guilfoyle won a key potential playoff preview game against District 6 Class 1A rival Bishop Carroll on Wednesday.
"Oh my gosh, it's a huge improvement," Homan said. "You can just tell the confidence. Our team always had work ethic, but it was a matter of gaining confidence and being able to relax under pressure in the environment of high school girls basketball."
Homan scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds in that game against the Lady Huskies, but each of the six other girls that played scored. Freshman Eva Bagley connected on a pair of late free throws to ice the win, and Sarah Geishauser scored 10 points and have several key steals.
"With Leah coming back, and Jaden Quinn played a little bit of varsity for us and Sarah Geishauser at the end, but they needed some time to adjust to varsity versus junior varsity," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Kristi Kaack said. "I never questioned how hard this group works. They are always busting their butt as hard as they can for me. I think now that they have seen it and caught up to the speed of the game a little more, we'll be OK."
Having Homan as a mentor has helped accelerate the process.
"Over the last three years before this season coaching Leah, she's always been an extremely hard worker," Kaack said. "Even when she was an underclassman, she was a good leader. We couldn't be more proud of the role she's stepped into this year. She's taken the kids in the summer for offseason workouts when they weren't with us, and she's tried to build this group up before we even got into the season."
Though Haigh was named the PIAA Class 1A Player of the Year last season, Homan could have won the award and no one would have questioned it. She also scored her 1,000th point of her career in the state final against Jenkintown, so Kaack wanted to make sure she was in the right mindset entering a senior season where the program needed to be rebuilt.
"We just keep telling her that this will develop her character for life," Kaack said. "She got to have a really special year last year and live out everyone's dream by winning a state championship and scoring her 1,000th point. Now, she gets an opportunity to be an all-time leader. We just think for the rest of her life, it will be a lesson for her. She's helping build us back up, and we're thankful she's here for our program rebound even in a down year."
Homan has served as an extra coach when her coaches run out of practice time.
"It's difficult, but my coaches and my teammates have helped me prepare for this role," Homan said. "I'm prepared and ready for this. My coaches have put me in a position to be able to continue to succeed despite having such a different team. I have been setting up extra workouts on top of practices. If they don't show up, I can't have the workouts. But they continue to show up, and it's great seeing them come out and work so hard."
Players like Geishauser, Quinn, Tessa Klock, Claire Cammarata and Finley Steinbugl have continued to improve as the season has played out.
"She's tough on the underclassmen, but you can see them growing and learning underneath her," Kaack said. "We feel really blessed that we have the opportunity to watch her lead the group this year so that next year, they know what the expectations are."
The Lady Marauders likely won't earn the top seed in the District 6 Class 1A playoffs due to a tough Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference schedule, but that doesn't bother Homan.
"I love the underdog role," Homan said. "This team is going to shock people, and honestly that is what has me hyped. I believe in these girls so much, and I want them to see the success that I know is in them."