When Sarah Kolmer comes off the bench and checks in for Emporia High, Lady Spartan fans have good reason to pay extra attention. They might just see something amazing happen.
As a volleyball player and a track and field athlete, Kolmer is already a force. As a varsity basketball player, she’s an exciting, unfinished product — one whose youth, athletic ability and upside make her a player any coach would love to try to mold into a finished one.
“She’s intriguing, isn’t she?” EHS coach Bill Nienstedt said.
Kolmer’s most prominent physical skill at times not only catches the eyes — it pops the eyes. She’s a gifted leaper — whose vertical, Nienstedt said, surpasses that of any player he’s had. She finished second at state last year in the triple jump as a freshman, and this year, as a sophomore volleyball player, she earned an honorable mention for All-Centennial League because of her prolific ability to rack up blocks at the net.
On the hardwood — for now — Kolmer’s a role player on the senior-laden Lady Spartans, and applying her skills to basketball at the varsity level is a work in progress.
“Basketball is more like an escape, kind of, from the other two (sports),” Kolmer said. “I think I expect more out of myself in those two sports than I do in basketball. But I think that’s actually kind of to my advantage.”
Her athleticism comes in handy on defense, and the springs in her shoes are good for the occasional high-rising rebound on which her feet almost appear to clear the shoulders of everyone else on the floor. She grabbed such a board off a missed free throw in Tuesday’s 55-47 win over Junction City — then tripped as she plummeted to her feet, getting called for traveling. That happens sometimes; what doesn’t happen as often is a high school girls basketball player getting that high off the floor.
To take her game to another level, Nienstedt said Kolmer needs to work on her offensive game, most specifically her shot.
“She could be awfully good,” Nienstedt said, “if she gets herself to the point where she is as good offensively five feet from the basket as she is active. And I wish she’d get a little bit stronger. I think she’s very strong, but it’d be nice if she was packing a few more pounds, and get a little bit bigger, I think. She works hard in the weight room, I know that.”
Having made the jump all the way from last year’s freshman team to this year’s varsity squad, Kolmer’s had a steep learning curve, and she said the faster pace of the game has been the toughest thing to adjust to as a varsity player. Taking some time off basketball between school years helped rejuvenate her.
“I took a break from it, kind of, this summer,” Kolmer said. “And when I came back to it this year, I think it brought a new little spark to it. And it’s been a lot (more enjoyable).”
Nienstedt said the Spartan veterans have helped Kolmer adjust to the varsity game, and he can tell they have a fondness for her, something junior Lindy Arndt confirmed.
“She’s funny, and you can always count on her to do something funny, and it’ll make you laugh,” Arndt said. “But as a teammate, you can always count on her to be there for you, no matter what it is. ... She’s just a really reliable teammate, and one that you can always count on.”
Kolmer’s development is something for Spartan fans to keep an eye on for the rest of this season — including Friday night’s matchup with Highland Park (5-10, 2-6) — and the next two seasons. Her abilities already make her an asset off the bench, and she has the competitive nature to someday become an impact player in her “escape” sport.
“When we start talking about toughness in the huddle, or in the pregame in the locker room,” Nienstedt said, “you can kind of see a little twinkle in her eyes that’s like, ‘Yeah, I like this stuff. I want to get out there and compete.’”
EHS boys (8-7, 5-3) at Highland Park (15-0, 8-0)
Emporia coach Rick Bloomquist knows that getting into a track meet with powerful Highland Park — the two-time defending Class 5A state champions — is the easiest way for the Spartans to get clobbered.
“I’ve always relished playing Highland Park,” Bloomquist said. “We played them two good games last year. ... We played ’em well. And I respect ’em, I think Highland Park respects us. But with the team I have this year, we’re gonna have to come up with a game plan to make them not play the game they wanna play.
“We can’t get into a running game with them, we can’t get into a pressing game with them. So we’ve got some ideas what we want to do to play them. And basically, we want to be in the game in the fourth quarter. ...
“They’re good, but I think they’re beatable. Whether we can do it or not, we’re gonna see.”
With two straight Centennial League wins over Shawnee Heights and Junction City, the Spartans are tied for third in the league with Topeka High and Washburn Rural at 5-3.
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
What a nice article highlighting not only a wonderful athlete, but exceptional young woman. Keep up the good work both on and off the court, Sarah!
February 13, 2009 at 1 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )