Wilmington Article on Syd’s Verbal

Our local newspaper, the Wilmington News-Journal, does a good job reporting on local sports activities. They have been especially generous in their reporting on Sydney as both a player and as she has gone through the college process.

The following is the article that was published today in the Wilmington News-Journal. I like the fact that they talked about her faith along with everything else. You can read the article on the News-Journal website.

MARK HUBER

mhuber@civitasmedia.com

In the end, the University of Louisville had everything Sydney Brackemyre wanted in a college. So earlier this month, the Clinton-Massie junior gave a verbal commitment to the U of L women’s basketball program.

“In the end I chose Louisville because of its all-around fit,” Brackemyre said. “In the beginning of this process I had five keys I was looking for in a college …. opportunities to build my faith, academics, location, competitive athletics and relations with staff.”

Brackemyre, who plans to major in kinesiology, picked Louisville over Dayton and Michigan.

Brackemyre said all schools in contention were aware of her injury, a season-ending knee injury at the Pepsi Holiday Classic in December.

“My knee injury didn’t play any part in my decision,” she said. “None of the schools I was looking at lost interest because of my injury. I have been very honest with them about my injury and my rehab.”

Brackemyre recently put away the crutches and is hitting “rehab hard,” she said.

“As soon as my surgeon gives me the green light, I will get into Prasco with my trainer, Dante Harlan, and start working on my game,” she said. “I am hoping to get back in time to play AAU with the Cincinnati Angels for part of the season in July, but I am not rushing anything and won’t get on the court until my doctor, coaches and I think I’m ready.”

The Lady Cardinals were ranked No.12 in the nation in the latest poll and will be moving from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“The Cardinals are very competitive athletically,” said Brackemyre. “I love that they are going to the ACC next year and I think that is a great conference. I love coach (Jeff) Walz’s style of play and the way he draws the mis-match and pushes the tempo. He has a great history of success, so I wanted to go to a program that has established itself as a team to beat.”

Brackemyre said Louisville’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes program was instrumental in her decision.

“I went on an overnight visit there in December and had the opportunity to attend one of their meetings,” she said. “Over 200 University of Louisville athletes participate, which is huge. My parents and I met with Chris Morgan, the director, and really believe I will fit in well there. I also think I will be able to plug-in to Southeast Christian Church, a mega-church in Louisville, and work with their college aged group. Southeast has a great ministry, as well.”

Sydney featured on The Dabbelt Report

Jim Dabbelt is the creator of a website called “The Dabbelt Report” which follows Ohio high school girls basketball in our area.  He spends a lot of time in the gym watching teams and blogs and tweets to give the girls in our area some exposure.  On his blog, he features a basketball player who is standing out among the many talented players in this area of Ohio.  This week he featured Sydney.

You can read the article on The Dabbelt Report website.

I follow his blog posts and on Twitter.  If you like basketball in our area, he will keep you up to date.

Here’s the article about Syd:

By JIM DABBELT

When it comes to the most talented sophomores in the Miami Valley, the bar is set at the very top with the Fairmont duo of Makayla Waterman and Kathryn Westbeld.  But next in line is a player who has exploded onto the scene after having an outstanding summer.

Clinton Massie 6-foot small forward Sydney Brackemyre has vaulted into the elite status in her 2014 class, and for the standout, she has a lot to credit to her summer AAU program, as she looks to lead Massie far into the playoffs this winter.

“This summer was amazing for me,” she said.  “About a week before AAU tryouts, I had no idea where I was going to be playing.  Chris Arington gave me the opportunity to play for the Cincinnati Angels, and it was probably the best decision I have ever made.”

Brackemyre was a key part as the team went 34-3 over the summer, and competed against a lot of tough teams from all over the United States.

“Coach Arington was a great coach who has an incredible knowledge about the game,” she said.  “He is a great role model for me this summer.  He also asked coach Dante Harlan to help train the three Angels teams.  He trained with us about three times a week.”

While the Angels were beating nearly everyone they played, Brackemyre’s stock went up.  She credits her time with the Angels and Harlan for that happening.

“Two of the biggest benefits of playing for the Angels are working with coach Harlan and the ability to train at Ignition in Mason.

“I worked out at Prasco with Dante during the entire off-season,” she said, getting to work out with some of the top players in Cincinnati such as Raeshaun Gaffney, Jenna Gunn, Nicole Bell, Brianna Glover, Chloe Pavlech, and other great players.  “They expanded my game to be strong and creative on the offensive end as well as quick and physical on the defensive end.”

All of that hard work has led to what she hopes will be a very memorable season with Massie.  The super soph knows the team is capable of playing well, with some solid players.

“There are some big expectations for our team this year, but we have definitely come into the season ready for the challenge,” she said.  “We have a really strong team with a lot of speed and athleticism.  Our team is very diverse and that is why I think we will be so successful.”

Brackemyre is joined on the Falcons squad by 6-foot sophomore Kasey Uetrecht and Brianna Machado, along with solid guards Mary Moyer, Allison Monnin, and Brittany Smith.

“We realize we have a long way to go, and our coach (Allen Wilkinson) does a great job keeping us humble when we win big, and encourages us when we get down.  We just want to come in everyday and get better.”

Not only is Brackemyre working on helping guide her team to a great season, she also has to worry about all the attention she will be getting from this point on.  She is no longer a stranger to the college coaches in the area, and while is talented, she also knows she has a long way to go.

“There is a huge room for improvement, but I think I need the most work on my defense,” she said.  “After (visiting schools) and talking to coaches, I have realized that defense is a huge part of what they expect from a player, not just that they can score.”

“I want to also work on making better decisions on the court, just being a smarter player and cutting down on turnovers.”

A lot of her attention came at the prestigious OGBR Skills and Exposure Camp at Denison, held every year in early July.  Last summer, she turned a lot of heads with her play at that camp, and opened the doors to a positive experience with the recruiting game.

“I had a great experience at that camp,” Brackemyre said.  “Going into it, I didn’t know a lot about it, but it was huge in my recruiting process.  Between that camp and the Top 64, I received a ton of exposure to college coaches.”

“OGBR also allowed me to experience some of the great players from other areas of Ohio that are really getting a lot of attention.  “Tom Jenkins is a great guy and he has allowed me the opportunity to be involved in things like camp, and the opportunity to work at some of the events such as the Classic in the Country.”

While she looks forward to working that great January event, it would mean a lot to her as well if she could experience the Classic from another angle…as a player.