Joelle Zingg is a high school junior who is experiencing life in the States on a Junior Year Abroad program. Since she was here, one of her goals was to try out for the Varsity Girls’ basketball team this year despite having never played formally. And she made the team! Joelle didn’t know the rules or the terminology but was excited to try something new. Scott Huebel, the Varsity Girls Basketball Coach, said she came “with clear goals: to learn the game, enjoy being part of a team and score at least once in a high school game.”
Huebel continued, “I first had to learn that everything I said to her was being translated in her head back into Swiss-German. On one of the first days of practice she asked, ‘Coach, when we are talking about being on ‘Offense’, this is when we are trying to score?’ I knew we had our work cut out for us.”
Joelle showed up to practice every day with a willing attitude and a smile on her face and did everything that was asked of her. “She had natural athleticism in her favor and, most importantly, she is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around” said Huebel.
“She had several “close ones” in terms of scoring; including a few lay-up opportunities on the night her mother was in town from Switzerland to see her play back in January. But they just didn’t fall for her that night.”
So how does this story end? Huebel continued, “Finally, we were down to our last regular season game on a Tuesday. We put Joelle in the game and she got some shots but no luck at first. Then a sudden steal down court was thrown ahead to our point guard. She gathered the ball, saw Joelle unguarded beside her, tossed her the ball and nothing but net! Joelle had scored!”
“Joelle had gotten her two point bucket and the gym went crazy!” Her goal, which had become a team goal, was accomplished. So Joelle will add this to her stack of wonderful memories of her stay in Beaufort. It’s nice when good things happen to good people!
