CHICAGO, Ill. – Hazen Union sophomores Kelsie Rivard, Taylor Thompson, and Mya Lumsden returned home from an experience of a lifetime last week, where they competed for the New England Crusaders AAU basketball team at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Tournament in Chicago.
The Crusaders roster was made up of all Vermont high school players and won three of four games over their four days in the Windy City, with their only loss coming to the tournament champs out of South Dakota. Lady Cat head coach Randy Lumsden also made the nearly 1,000-mile trek across the country to observe his talented sophomore trio against 10,000 of the best high school basketball players in the nation. All three of his players got starts and meaningful playing time throughout the tournament. He believes the opportunity that Rivard, Thompson, and Lumsden got to experience against elite competition cannot be measured.
“Experiencing the tournament firsthand in Chicago was just unbelievable,” said Lumsden. “I was blown away with the athleticism, speed, and skill level. I was so impressed with how Kelsie, Taylor, and Mya competed and weren’t intimidated by the level of competition. They put their hands on the floor and played tough defense and were aggressive offensively when they had to be. It was great to see and a really good sign for the future of our program here at Hazen,”
The Vermont team that participated at the Chicago tournament included (from left) Taylor Thompson, Kelsie Rivard, Reese Duprey, Anya Davis, Mae Yenkavitch, Amelia Rockwood, Meg Allen and Mya Lumsden.
Lumsden’s talented young squad, led by his senior star point guard Caitlyn Davison, brought the Division III state championship back to Hardwick this past winter for the first time in over three decades. Graduating a core of senior leadership, including Davison this past spring leaves Lumsden with a very young, yet championship tested team heading into the winter. Rivard returns as the reigning Mountain League Freshman of the Year after averaging 17 points per game last season, while leading the team in rebounds. Lumsden believes his players’ experience in Chicago, as well as their competitive summer league schedule in Lamoille, will only help further develop his young team as they look to defend their state title this coming winter.
“Kelsie is a great young scorer and her ability to do that didn’t take a hit against some of the best competition in Chicago. Caitlyn controlled the pace of our offense last season in the biggest moments, and you can’t replace that. From what I saw from our players in Chicago and the commitment our entire team has shown in summer league, I’m encouraged that we’re going to have some players develop into some leadership roles for our team this coming season. All of these girls are great athletes and I’m glad to hear that most of them are going to be playing soccer for Hazen this fall. It gives them a chance to take a break from basketball, take a break from me, and it gives them an opportunity to miss the game a little bit,” said Lumsden.
Lumsden and his Lady Cats will head to Northfield this weekend for the Norwich University Team Camp. Other teams attending include Division I powerhouses Mount Mansfield, CVU, and St. Johnsbury Academy.
