RV's Stuckman gets Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month
River Valley girls basketball player Kendall Stuckman was named Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month for December.
CALEDONIA - Ford, GM and Chrysler would be proud to call Kendall Stuckman their own; the River Valley senior has a motor that just won't quit.
“She just goes. It is constant, and she’s just go, go, go, go, go,” RV girls basketball coach Tim Chiles said.
It's how the 5-foot-7 do-it-all player for the Vikings is programmed.
“I just continue to work hard," Stuckman said. "Every drill we do, I just give it my all and try to be the first in all the competitions and stuff. I’ve always just pushed myself. I think about game time and wanting to be prepared.”
In December, the four-year starter went over 1,000 all-time points and scored a career-best 34 points with 15 rebounds and seven steals against Highland. She averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds while getting more than three steals and two assists per game in the month.
Because of it, she was named Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month for December.
“It was pretty exciting to hear," she said of the honor. "I’ve been nominated and stuff, so it was nice to finally have that honor. It’s cool because one of my best friends (teammate Alexis Reichardt) just got it for golf, so we’ll be beside each other on the wall (where the plaques are displayed at the high school).”
The honor came as no surprise to Chiles.
“As a player, she works so hard and leads by example. It’s every day of the week in the gym, giving everything she’s got to make the team and herself better. She’s improved a ton,” the coach said.
Stuckman was a key member of River Valley's district runner-up squad as a freshman, and those memories are fond ones for her.
“My freshman year, Abby Guinther was pretty much the leader, and I always looked up to her and wanted to be like her. She was never the type to get on you," Stuckman said.
She has patterned a lot of her approach from that of her former teammate.
“At the beginning of the season, (Chiles) gave us the rules, and he pretty much told me to take on that role of being the leader," Stuckman said. "I feel like I’m more of the type that leads by example. I do what we’re supposed to be doing, and I expect my teammates to follow. I’m not very vocal. I don’t yell at them.”
Chiles loves that example.
“The amazing thing is you can get on her as a coach and she goes harder," he said. "You get on her and she just goes.”
As a freshman, she was free to do her thing as few opponents game-planned against her. That changed as a sophomore and junior and is certainly the case as a senior. Chiles said she always attracts the opposing team's best defender, but production hasn't been an issue. She welcomes the challenge.
She leads the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference in scoring at 18 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this season. She also averages 3.5 steals and nearly two assists while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 71 percent from the foul line.
“She’s developed a lot," Chiles said. "When she was a freshmen, she was athletic and could get to the basket, and she could jump, but she couldn’t shoot real well. She has developed that part of her game.”
With the regular season winding down and the sectional tournament starting next week, time is ticking on Stuckman's high school basketball career.
“It’s kind of sad, but I’m excited. Tournament time is one of the funnest parts," she said. “It’s a lot of fun. I play volleyball and run track, but there’s nothing to compare to the feeling I get during a basketball game."
That's because she can let her motor go and go and go.
rmccurdy@gannett.com
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Fahey Bank Female Athlete of the Month nominees
- Winner: Kendall Stuckman, River Valley basketball
- Brittany Sterritt, Harding bowling
- Megan Mulvaine, Ridgedale basketball
- Alanna Wiseman, Elgin basketball
- Summer Blevins, Pleasant basketball