Hard-Court Jester
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
By Michael Ashford
ashford@emporiagazette.com
Emporia High freshman Lindy Arndt is known by her teammates as the funny one.
Ask senior Rachael Bachman about Arndt’s antics, and Bachman can barely keep a straight face.
“She makes every situation funny,” Bachman said with a huge grin. “She always makes me laugh. She always has a joke, and she has a great sense of humor.”
But ask Arndt to bust out one of those side-splitting one-liners and, well, it’s just not that easy.
It’s all about the spontaneity.
“I probably say some things here and there,” she said, laughing. “I can’t think of any good ones (jokes) right now. I’d probably have to think about it.”
There is no joking about Arndt’s play this season for the EHS girls basketball team, though. Arndt has been a steady contributor for the Lady Spartans even though she is just a freshman, and as of late has seemed to elevate her game to a new level.
“On the court, I don’t even consider her a freshman,” Bachman said. “She doesn’t act like a freshman when she plays.”
Arndt has provided a spark off the bench all season with her ability to stretch the floor, moving her 5-foot-9 frame down the court with ease in helping to create matchup problems with opponents in transition. She is averaging right at seven points a game this season, which only tells part of the story, coach Bill Nienstedt said.
“She brings so much energy and enthusiasm. She really loves to play,” Nienstedt said. “She’s gifted athletically, but more than that, she’s smart. She has picked things up quickly and she’s mature. She understands responsibility.”
Before this past weekend’s Glacier’s Edge Tournament, Arndt had been solid. She had posted three games in double-figure scoring and was often the first or second player off the bench for EHS.
But Bachman saw in Arndt the potential for more.
Before Friday’s matchup with Shawnee Mission East in the tournament semifinals, Bachman had a short conversation with Arndt after Arndt had finished with just two points in Emporia’s 63-36 victory over Wichita Northwest the previous night.
With a showdown with Shawnee Mission East looming — East beat EHS, 36-34, in the season opener — Bachman wanted to make sure Arndt knew her teammates had confidence in her abilities.
“I was talking to her before the game, and I told her, ‘Lindy, don’t be afraid to shoot. You’re a good player,’” Bachman said. “After that, I think she might have gained some confidence.”
It was a meaningful conversation for Arndt, as she considers Bachman one of her best friends.
“If she didn’t think that I could, she wouldn’t be telling me that,” Arndt said. “It meant a lot to me because she is one of my better friends. Her telling me that kind of gave me the confidence to do it.”
Against East that night, Arndt finished with six points in a 46-28 victory, but she saved her best for the title game against defending champion, Olathe East. Against the Lady Hawks, Arndt was near-perfect, going 4-for-6 from the field — which included a 10-point performance in the first half — and added three free throws to notch a team-high 12 points in Emporia’s dominating 52-27 win.
“Saturday, wow, in the first half, it was clear from the get-go that she was ready to play,” Nienstedt said. “She is lighthearted and fun, but at the same time, she is a very good competitor. When it’s time to play, she is ready to play.”
As the Lady Spartans move into the latter stages of their season with the postseason as the goal, it might be Arndt who becomes a crucial element in EHS reaching that goal.
But she doesn’t even see herself as a scorer first. She says she’s there to help her teammates score.
“I try to create open shots for other people,” she said, “whether it’s by penetrating and passing it out or just getting open shots for other people and defending.”
But, as Bachman said, it’s obvious Arndt has the ability to be a threat to opponents’ gameplans.
“She works extremely hard,” Bachman said. “She’s a good player, and when she’s out there, she isn’t afraid to do anything.”
And that’s no joke.