The basketball got lodged between the backboard and the rim during Livonia Franklin’s 56-49 win over Walled Lake Western on Dec. 10.
One official pointed at Kinsey Nordbeck and told her to hop up there and knock it loose.
“Me?” the senior asked, sporting a confused look while pointing at herself.
Heck, with the way the 5-foot-11 power forward has played near the rim to start the season, asking her to do that makes sense.
Nordbeck scored 26 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked seven shots against Walled Lake Central on Dec. 8, and then followed it up with 22 points, 15 rebounds and three more blocks vs. Western.
Coach Colleen Flaherty is calling Nordbeck a “double-double machine,” and that tracks. Nordbeck had eight double-doubles while averaging 11 points and nine rebounds per game last season.
Reminder: Franklin plays in the same KLAA-East division as defending state champion Belleville and Wayne Memorial, which make routine trips to the Breslin Center while sending girls to Division I colleges annually. For Nordbeck to average almost a double-double in a league like that, well, that’s just unreal.
“She’s been working hard and trying to improve because her goal is to play in college if she can,” Flaherty said. “She’s been putting in work in the weight room. Over the summer, she put in a lot of time. She did cross country in the fall to focus on her endurance and everything else she wants to do. We just get after her in practices, to get hit and finish. She’s really nailed that down, trying to be the best that she can and the best that she can for her team and the program.”
This might be the first time in Nordbeck’s career that she hasn’t had pressure to be the best player on the floor, as the Patriots (2-0) have truly built something from the ground up.
When Nordbeck was a sophomore, if she wasn’t leading the charge in the paint, the chances of Franklin winning were minimal — and that showed in the win-loss column. Franklin won five games in Flaherty’s first season and six last year.
But as Flaherty has built up the program and increased its depth, the talent has gotten better, too.
After a breakout junior season, Sammy Carignan is now the sparkplug that keeps Franklin’s energy high. Her pesky defense leads to transition basket after transition basket. She scored 17 points against Western, finishing with a 3-pointer that added an exclamation point to a hard-fought win over the Warriors.
Senior guard Bre Campbell has proven she can dribble up the floor against tough pressure. Despite playing a facilitator role, she pitched in nine points and got to the foul line plenty in the Patriots’ second win.
And role players like Vick Hairston, Callie Bates and Ashley Copeland have stepped up in big ways.
“Our teamwork has grown a lot, and having the three seniors return (Nordbeck, Carignan and Campbell) who have played together for so long, we’re just playing such good basketball together, and that has helped me grow,” Nordbeck said. “I don’t have to feel like anyone specifically has to carry the team. We know we can work together and can step up in moments when they’re needed.”
Added Flaherty: “Unselfish ball is fun to see because we haven’t had that in the past because we’ve been so young, trying to fill spots. We’ve worked really hard on focusing to play hard together and for each other, and we’ve really done that a lot in the last few days.”
Ain’t that the truth?
The Patriots are 2-0 to open the season against two future league opponents — Franklin, Churchill and Stevenson are joining the Lakes Valley Conference next school year. They’re already 1/3 of the way to their win total from a year ago and have plenty of winnable matchups ahead.
“It honestly feels amazing,” Nordbeck said. “As a freshman on varsity, I’ve always wanted to have a team where I’ve felt success and where the team was working together and nobody was getting down on themselves or feeling like they weren’t worthy to be on the team. We’ve finally reached the moment where everyone has their place and can do their role as needed. Hopefully, as the season goes on, we can come together in the biggest moments and win.”
And, hopefully, that leads to some attention from prospective college teams.
The officials have already taken note of Nordbeck’s ability to play high above opponents. It’s only a matter of time until teams at the next level see it, too.
“She’s got a great attitude and work ethic, plus she’s a great leader on and off the court,” Flaherty said her sales pitch to colleges interested in recruiting Nordbeck would be. “She’s got a strong GPA and, better yet, she’s a good person to have on your team.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Kinsey Nordbeck is a ‘double-double machine’ for Livonia Franklin
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
