H-S Athlete of the Week: Kendra Tharp, West Greene
NAME: Kendra Tharp
SCHOOL: West Greene
GRADE: Senior
SPORT: Basketball
THARP鈥橲 WEEK: Two games after scoring her 1,000th career point on Jan. 9 at Avella, Tharp tossed in 15 points in a 62-9 win over Mapletown on Jan. 19 that improved West Greene鈥檚 Section 2-A record to 6-3. The Lady Pioneers fell to Cameron in a non-section game, 40-36, on Friday despite 21 points and 14 rebounds from Tharp. It was the ninth double-double of the season for Tharp, the 17-year-old daughter of Cory and Natasha Tharp of Wind Ridge, and upped her career rebound total to 901 as she attempts to become the first Lady Pioneer to reach 1,000 in both points and rebounds. Craig Weaver for West Greene鈥檚 boys team is the only player to hit that double-1,000 milestone. It would be quite an accomplishment for a 5-foot-6 player.
SPRINGING INTO ACTION: Tharp is a three-sport athlete who also plays volleyball and softball and is a cheerleader as well. According to head coach Ben Brudnock, Tharp鈥檚 unique jumping ability helps her in all of her athletic endeavors 鈥淜endra is, by far, the best 鈥榠n the air鈥 female athlete I鈥檝e ever coached,鈥 Brudnock said. 鈥淚n volleyball, she鈥檚 above the net as an outside hitter. In softball, she鈥檒l climb the ladder and snag a line drive that everyone thinks is headed for the gap. In basketball, she鈥檚 off the ground to grab a rebound before most players even think to jump. It鈥檚 pure instinct and she makes it look easy no matter what season it is.鈥
BASKETBALL IS TOPS: Brudnock has excelled in all three sports but basketball is No. 1 for her. 鈥淚 definitely like basketball the best,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e played it since I was in fourth grade and it鈥檚 always been my favorite. It鈥檚 just such a good feeling to step out on the court, it just makes me forget everything else. Softball is next. It鈥檚 starting to grow on me the more I play it. But I鈥檝e always loved basketball.鈥 Tharp improved through the years on the hardwood. 鈥淚 was alright at first but I couldn鈥檛 really dribble that well until about middle school. Right about then I kind of realized I鈥檓 pretty good at this. When I was in seventh grade I got to play up and started on the eighth-grade team.鈥 She ended up being a four-year varsity starter.
AN ALL-TIME GREAT: Brudnock ranks Tharp amongst the best Lady Pioneers basketball players in school history. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of outstanding girls鈥 basketball players at West Greene through the years, and Kendra will rightfully be in that conversation,鈥 Brudnock said. 鈥淧lus, she鈥檚 earned everything the hard way. Most of her points have been fought for in the lane and the fact that she鈥檚 5-foot-6 and approaching 1,000 rebounds is beyond impressive. She鈥檚 a special athlete that鈥檚 for sure.鈥
TEAM GOALS: West Greene has reached the WPIAL playoffs nine years in a row, reaching the quarterfinals in each of those seasons, and has won at least one playoff game eight times. Tharp wants to keep that streak alive and maybe add something to it. 鈥淚 want us to keep that going, win a playoff game and then we鈥檝e never won a state playoff game so that鈥檚 a goal I want for us, get to the states and win,鈥 Tharp said.
COACHING GUIDANCE: Tharp has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in both basketball and softball every year of her high school career, and she鈥檚 appreciative of her coaches, Brudnock and Bill Simms in softball. 鈥淭hey both helped a lot,鈥 Tharp said. 鈥淭hey always have something to critique and tell you. Sometimes I might not want to listen to what they鈥檙e saying but I still always take it in and then I find it鈥檚 useful. It鈥檚 corrective criticism and it鈥檚 helped me improve a lot over the years.鈥
MOST MEMORABLE: Tharp puts the game in which she scored her 1,000th point against Mapletown and a competitive playoff loss to Geibel Catholic last year at the top of her list as far as being most memorable. 鈥淭he 1,000th point is definitely one,鈥 Tharp said. 鈥淏ut the game that stands out the most was last year when we played Geibel in the playoffs. There were so many people there that there weren鈥檛 enough seats for everybody and it was so loud and so energetic and so much fun. We don鈥檛 get to play a lot of games where there鈥檚 a full gym.鈥 Tharp poured in a game-high 31 points but West Greene fell to the section champion Lady Gators, 60-48.
TEAM LEADER: Tharp is the Lady Pioneers鈥 team captain, an honor she鈥檚 earned, according to Brudnock. 鈥淪he鈥檚 definitely a leader by example. With her, it鈥檚 a combination of hustle and fearlessness. When she gets a rebound over a much taller player and then beats the guards down floor on the break, it rubs off on her teammates.鈥
ODDS AND ENDS: Tharp is interested in extending her basketball career. 鈥淚鈥檓 considering playing basketball in college,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still looking into colleges.鈥 鈥 Tharp is involved in Future Farmers of America and received a Keystone degree during a Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. 鈥 Tharp loves joining clubs. 鈥淢e and a couple of my friends join as many as possible,鈥 Tharp said. 鈥淚鈥檓 part of our prom committee. I鈥檓 in floral design which is one of my favorite things. We make flower arrangements and do Valentine鈥檚 Day sales. We were supposed to do a floral competition but it got snowed out so we did one virtually at school and Facebook voted for it.鈥 鈥 Tharp has one older sister, Marissa, 18, and two younger brothers, Layden, 14, and Kolstyn, 10. Kendra and Marissa were teammates in volleyball, basketball and softball last season.
Compiled by Rob Burchianti