The Cape Henlopen Vikings hosted the Conrad School of Sciences Red Wolves on Friday, January 31. The night was electric as the Vikings defeated the top team in the state by the score of 58-53. Earlier in the day, seniors, Carlin Quinn and Abbey Hearn were putting the final touches on Factory Sports Night. Both Carlin and Abbey spend time at Factory Sports as part of the Cape Henlopen Career Pathways Program. Hearn has been a familiar face at Factory Sports since the complex first opened in 2014. She is also a part of their Winter Youth Basketball League, serving as a referee and coach in the girl’s youth division. “Abbey is wonderful. She truly cares about the kids and wants to give back as much as she can”, says Factory Sports Program Director, Brad Leinbach. This statement was on full display Friday afternoon as Hearn and Quinn worked with Leinbach to coordinate the logistics of the evening. What time should the Factory Sports players arrive? What time are starting lineups? Where should the youth players stand on the court? Finally, and most importantly, who will throw the t-shirts in the crowd? Yes, they wanted the gym to be packed and loud, but they also wanted to ensure that the youth players attending the game for Factory Sports Night had fun.
Three short hours after leaving Factory Sports Quinn and Hearn were getting ready to take the floor for the biggest basketball game of their high school athletic career, yet the community kids were still on their minds. “How many are coming”, asked Hearn. “Are we set with the half-time”, added Quinn. Leinbach quickly settled their concerns by reminding them of the task at hand that night and letting them know that, “I got this.”
The night was kicked-off with a loud rendition of the starting lineups. The crowd was not only excited for the game and providing early energy, but the Cape Henlopen band was also in attendance. “We tried everything we could to make the atmosphere great for the girls on the court and our players in attendance. We invited the cheerleaders and band to join the crowd that night, it was fun”, says Leinbach. Factory Sports athletes formed a tunnel for the Cape players to run through as the players had their names called. Carlin Quinn thought it was the perfect last minute reminder, “It was so cute to see their faces. Many of them were excited, but some of them looked so scared to be in front of such a large crowd. It reminded me to go out and fun, I am 18 years old, there is nothing to be scared about.” Quinn’s words were materialized into actions as she grabbed 18 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
The Cape Henlopen Athletic Department invited the Factory Sports players on to the floor at half-time to take there chance at hitting a shot for a free Grotto’s pizza. The athletes began firing away from 3-point range, much like they do in practice, and were coming up short. There was not a free pizza given out at half-time, but all the kids were winners. “Our players could not stop talking about at their Winter League games today. I had a few of our kindergartners tell me that they were so close to a free pizza. I didn’t have the heart to break it to them that they weren’t”, Leinbach said with a smile. “The impact that these high school athletes have on our community should not be overlooked”, added Leinbach. This was on full display post game when Hearn was surrounded by current and future athletes of Factory Sports.
Coach Abbey, as she is known to the kids, had an efficient performance against the #1 ranked Conrad Red Wolves. She chose a great night to have 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-pt range (75%), 6-of-10 from inside the arc (60%), and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe (100%) because it turned out her future college coach was in attendance. Kutztown University’s Head Women’s Coach Janet Malouf made a surprise visit to see her future star. “She surprised me! She said on the phone the other day that they had practice right before our game and wouldn’t be able to come. I guess practiced got changed and she came down”, said an excited Hearn.
The night was a truly special one for the community. It was a night that a wide variety of generations will soon not forget. Abbey Hearn summed the night up by saying; “The atmosphere in the gym was awesome with the stands packed and the student section going wild. It was really fun to have all the kids there, especially the ones that I coach.” In speaking with both Carlin Quinn and Abbey Hearn about this article, the two of them wanted to give special thanks to Johnathan Williams. Williams is a University of Delaware student, Under Armour employee, and Factory Sports Coach. “Johnathan will often play against us in basketball to help make us better. He is loved by the Factory Sports kids and played a huge part in getting so many of them there.”
It is clear that what Factory Sports is doing, it is right. The connection that their youth athletes have with the coaches and staff, along with the support that these families are giving to local athletics is tremendous.
What a night!
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Recap: Cape HS v Conrad x Factory Sports Night - CapeGazette.com
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