Members of the Mercy varsity basketball team meet with their “buddies” from the fifth grade basketball team at Our Lady of Lourdes School. The two Omaha teams are connected through the “Basketball Buddy Program.” Photo by Lisa Maxson/staff.
Mentoring program creates bond between teams By LISA MAXSON Catholic Voice
For Michelle Hall, a senior at Mercy High School in Omaha, playing varsity basketball at the all-girls school means more than just participating in the sport she loves.
It's also about being a good role model to Katie Evans, her "buddy" and a fifth grade basketball player for Our Lady of Lourdes School in Omaha.
For the past two years, varsity basketball players at Mercy have become mentors to members of the fifth grade girls' basketball team at Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL).
"Basketball isn't all about the game," Hall said. "It's more about having the heart and the desire to play, and I think these girls make us want to play better and they give us the drive to play better. It's really inspiring to me."
When Julia Brekel, head coach of the OLL fifth grade team, started coaching three years ago, she said she was "brand new and had no idea what I was doing."
Looking for help and guidance, she contacted Nicole Stromgren, the coach of Mercy's varsity team.
And something that started as a small mentoring program between two coaches "grew into something incredible," Brekel said.
Through the "Basketball Buddy Program" each varsity player is paired with one of the fifth-graders. Brekel and her husband, Jared, assistant coach for the fifth grade team, take the fifth grade girls to watch Mercy games and cheer them on, and the Mercy girls come to some of the OLL practices and work with their buddies on basketball drills and fundamentals, Brekel said.
Fifth-grader Julia Manganaro said she likes hanging out with the older girls and watching them play.
"We learn how to play the game and dribble and shoot," she said.
Mercy student Caitlin Boadwee said she's impressed by the improvement of the younger girls' playing skills.
"We go watch their games and you can just tell that by watching us play, the fifth-graders understand so much more of the game," she said. "They know tricks that most fifth grade players aren't supposed to know yet."
Once a year the teams, which have made Basketball Buddy T-shirts, get together to eat pizza and scrimmage.
"The really neat thing is to see these high school teenagers showing up at 8 a.m. games on a Saturday or spending their Friday nights hanging out with a fifth-grader," Brekel said, noting that even seniors who graduated last year still contact their buddies.
Brekel said she is grateful for the commitment of the Mercy coaches and players.
"Coach Stromgren has taught her girls commitment, passion and values that help them on and off the court," she said. "And because of that, these high school girls have spent a lot of free time and energy mentoring these younger girls."
Boadwee said she's learned through the Basketball Buddy Program that it's not just about winning every basketball game, but also about making a difference in the lives of the younger girls who want to play.
"It's a great opportunity for us to realize how much of a role model we are and to give our best for the girls by being there for them and helping them out," she said. "We realize we're making a difference."
Stromgren said she knows her players have gained a different perspective on basketball through the Basketball Buddy Program, and it's because of the effort the younger girls make to support the Mercy team.
"Their girls don't miss a game of ours," she said, noting that many of the girls take stats for all the Mercy players during their games. "They don't really care if the girls win or lose or how good or bad they played. They're just excited and ready to high-five their buddies."
