Meet the Team // Sydney the Intern // @TinkerCoffeeCo

Sydney is working this summer in Indianapolis as she takes summer classes at UIndy. She was able to connect with a local coffee company – Tinker Coffee Company – and is working as their intern. Recently they featured her on the Tinker Coffee blog. It was a brief interview with some fun info about what lead her to Indy and to Tinker. I especially like her response to What got you into coffee?

You might have noticed that some of our Instagram posts are looking A LOT better recently, and we have one very special person to thank for those upgrades: our illustrious intern Sydney Brackemyre! Syd the Kyd is a dynamo and has been doing awesome work with us for the past month and we wanted to give folks the chance to get to know her a bit better. We sat down with Syd and asked some questions about where she’s been, where she’s going, and what drew her to the coffee industry in the first place.

Read the entire interview on the Tinker blog!

Good Post: The box that made me more well rounded – limitation

I shared a few weeks ago that my daughter started – or actually relaunched – a blog. She’s had some good posts, but this one is pretty insightful.

My blog contains post primarily about church work (primarily student ministry and youth culture), about books I’ve read and my family.  The past few years have contained many posts about basketball and Syd’s journey through high school, AAU and college.

As you will read in her post, injury has altered her intended course in the game of basketball.  But what she has learned – and is learning – is pretty cool to read.

In her post, The Box That Made Me More Well Rounded – Limitation, she begins this way:

The other day, someone asked me about my basketball season that I underwent this past year. Specifically, their question was, “what was it like playing on one leg?” Well, if you don’t know me I have two legs, don’t worry. But, for those who do know me know that I have had 5 different knee surgeries/operations on my left knee. Some were simple ACL replacements and some were much more extensive, involving reconstructions of ligaments, bone resurfacings, and a screw removal… I have some sweet scars. The main problem with my knee is that I don’t have much of a medial meniscus or much healthy cartilage left, both of which function as types of cushions for your bones and joint in the knee.  My knee hurts after most any moderate activity and swells at the sight of any basketball court for longer than 30 minutes.  So when I decided that I wanted to continue to play I knew that I would be “limited.”

Read the rest on Syd’s blog – divinesixght

 

 

Syd is a “Stat Stuffer”

Blue Star Media covered the Ohio Girls Basketball Report (OGBR) Top 64 Event held Sept. 29-30 in Reynoldsburg. OGBR was a great opportunity for the girls in the Buckeye state to play in front of college coaches.

On their website, Blue Star highlighted some of the players from the class on 2014, 2015 & 2016. Mark Lewis wrote the article and you can read the entire article on the website. Below is what he wrote about Syd’s class, the class of 2014. Love the way he described Syd as a “stat stuffer.”

2014 class

Alexa Hart – This 6-2 forward from Lake Ridge Academy can do it all. She runs, blocks shots, rebounds, scores inside and just flat out plays with energy that excites other players on the floor. She is fun to watch due to the number of plays that she makes.

Amanda Cahill – This 6-2 forward from Clyde brings a lot to the court when she plays. She is a coaches kid that really understands how to play the game. Shoots and handles the ball like a two guard, gets to the rim like a small forward and rebounds like a power forward. Competes and plays hard at all times.

Kathryn Westbeld – This 6-2 small forward from Fairmont is always impressive. There is no secret why Kettering Fairmont is in the hunt for another run at the state title. Kathryn plays at a high level at all times. The ability is there to score inside and out plus she can rebound and defend with the best of them. She competes and can put the ball on the floor like a guard.

Makayla Waterman – This athletic 6-2 forward is an established inside force. Waterman is Westbeld’s running mate at Fairmont and can more than hold her own. She can post up and score using a variety of moves. Additionally, she can shoot from the perimeter efficiently while rebounding with a vengeance.

Alyssa Rice – This athletic post is exciting from the time she steps on the floor until the moment she steps off. Standing 6-3 with an array of post moves, she can score almost at will inside. Rice can shoot the ball on the perimeter as well as drive it effectively from the high post. A great rebounder, she can get it off the glass on both ends of the floor. Reynoldsburg is in great hands with Alyssa in the line up.

Sydney Brackemyre – This 6-1 forward from Clinton Massie continues to show everyone why she is a player. As with this past summer, she just keeps getting better and better. Brackemyre is what’s known at a stat stuffer. When you look at her stats you will see that she has made an impact in virtually every area of the game. She can shoot the 3 and can score on the perimeter in many ways. There’s a physical presence and some effective rebounding from her position.

2011-12 DABBS ALL-AREA TEAM

Jim Dabbelt operates The Dabbelt Report, a website that follows girls basketball in Ohio.  In 2003, Jim created and directed The Dabbelt Report, a website which quickly became a household name for all girls basketball players, coaches and fans in Southwest Ohio. The website was generally considered the premiere girls basketball site in Ohio. During it’s first three years, The Dabbelt Report generated over four million hits.

One of the features is Dabbs All-Area Team, where he picks a first and second team (10 players each) for each of the four divisions.  Clinton-Massie is in Division 2 and had two players make the team.

Sydney was selected to the First Team and Kasey Uetrecht was selected to the Second Team.  The Division 2 teams are listed below.  Great job ladies!  You can see all of the teams on his All-Area page.

DIVISION 2

First-Team

Kelley Austria, 5-11 Sr., Dayton Carroll

Allison Bockrath, 5-11 Sr., Alter

Sydney Brackemyre, 5-11 Soph., Clinton Massie

Leisha Crawford, 5-9 Sr., Bellbrook

Erin Dorn, 5-9 Jr., Bellbrook

Elizabeth Haley, 6-2 Jr., Dayton Oakwood

Mariah Harris, 5-10 Sr., Kenton Ridge

Trischa Lacy, 5-10 Jr., Urbana

Ray’tea Long, 6-1 Sr., Chaminade Julienne

Ellise Sharpe, 5-10 Sr., Tippecanoe

Second-Team

Emma Bockrath, 5-9 Fresh., Alter

Lindsey Fenwick, 5-11 Sr., Kenton Ridge

Megan Galloway, 6-2 Jr., Greenville

Emily Michael, 5-10 Sr., Chaminade Julienne

Ana Richter, 6-0 Soph., Oxford Talawanda

Whitney Robinson, 5-10 Sr., Greenon

Kasey Uetrecht, 6-0 Soph., Clinton Massie

Autumn Whirley, 5-8 Fresh., Eaton

Suzy Wollenhaupt, 5-11 Jr., Dayton Carroll

Player of the Year- Kelley Austria (Dayton Carroll)

co-Coaches of the Year- Mandy Myers (CJ), Rob Berry (Carroll)

Syd in the News-Journal

The Clinton-Massie Lady Falcons continue to win in the SCOL.  On Saturday (01/28) they had a good game against London and remain undefeated in league play.  The Wilmington News-Journal ran a nice article that featured some good quotes about Sunday . . . and cool picture, too.

Here’s what the paper ran.  Do appreciate how the News-Journal tries to highlight our area athletes.

Dominating play from the opening tip, the Clinton-Massie Lady Falcons defeated London, 53-36, Saturday in a South Central Ohio League game at the CMHS gym.

With the win, the 14th-ranked Lady Falcons remain unbeaten in SCOL play at 8-0 while improving to 15-1 overall.

Clinton-Massie scored 17 of the first 20 points in the game and led 29-11 at halftime.

Sydney Brackemyre was a scoring machine for the Lady Falcons, accounting for 19 of Massie’s first 22 points — including 15 of CM’s 18 points in the second quarter. She easily won the praise of Red Raiders’ coach Ben Ackley.

“She is such a dominant player and is virtually unstoppable,” said Ackley. “Not only does she score from all over the floor, but she hits the boards really well. By halftime I think she had seven offensive rebounds. To me, she’s a Division I prospect.

Reportedly, representatives from Michigan State were in attendance to witness Brackemyre’s play Saturday.

“When we execute like we did in the first half and play defense like that, we’re hard to beat,” said Clinton-Massie head coach Allen Wilkinson, who recently picked up his 200th career win. His career win total now stands at 205.

While Brackemyre saw limited playing time in the second half, several other players picked up the scoring pace for Massie. The Lady Falcons led 45-19 after three quarters before being outscored 17-8 in the final frame.

“Yes, we played much better overall in the second half,” said Ackley. “Massie just presents match-up problems for us because of their size. ‘Wilk’ does a great job with his kids and they’re showing great improvement.”

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.