By Stephen Smoot
Dating back to the comedy motion picture “Rat Race,” the word “squirrel” has often been used to mean a sudden distraction.
For regional high school basketball, however, Pendleton County’s Avery Townsend, called “Squirrel” by her family and teammates, has been a veritable nightmare in three sports. In the fall, her vicious spikes rattle opponents and in spring, she busies herself racking up hits and stolen bases in softball – the sport she will go on to play for Fairmont State University.
In winter, however, Townsend shines on the scoreboard. Earlier this season, the senior guard broke the 1,000 point mark as a Pendleton County varsity basketball player.
Head basketball coach, Donnie Kopp, praised his star point guard. He shared that “I’m really, really proud of, and happy for, Avery Townsend.” Kopp added that “she has worked very hard to achieve success, not only in basketball, volleyball, and softball, but in the classroom as well.”
Kopp explained that “the most impressive thing of all” lies in keeping a perfect 4.0 grade point average during her entire high school career. “It takes a very special person to be able to budget her time to excel in nearly every single thing that she does.”
Townsend keeps her focus on winning, but she has been chasing history as well for her entire career. “This has been my goal ever since I started playing basketball!” she explained.
To achieve that goal, Townsend thought strategically.
Just as the main protagonist in the White Stripes tune “Little Acorns,” she broke the problem into “small little pieces” and achieved her goal one step at a time.
“After my freshman and sophomore year,” Townsend explained, “I was a little worried I wasn’t going to make it. I only had 390 points between those two years.” She broke it down mathematically, then set a goal in her third season to average 20 points per game.
“I ended up with 500 points that season, so I only had to get 110 points this season to get 1,000,” demonstrating that, as she said, “Hard work pays off.”
This season, she has averaged thus far 24.5 points per game with a 33 percent field goal percentage.
At the same time, she also has grown as a leader whose example is followed by her hard-driving and relentless teammates.
Although her scoring accomplishments have done much to power the team, her defense, in conjunction with her hustling and athletic teammates, works to stymie most area offenses. She averages 5.3 steals per game. Much like the legendary Ana Young, with whom she played her freshman and sophomore years at Pendleton County, she regards opposing point guards as a cat does its prey. Townsend baits them into certain moves, then uses quick hands to tap away and then swipe balls from opposing players.
Then defense becomes offense as she drives in for layups or hits teammates in stride with passes on the fast break.
Kopp also credits “her parents, Jeremy and Kara, along with some of her other youth coaches” who “have put in a lot of time and effort toward her success.”
Kara Townsend shared that “she definitely gives it all she has. She is very fun to watch. I am going to miss watching her play basketball when they are done this year.”
Avery Townsend also shared her main motivations behind her success, stating, “It has been such an honor achieving this goal and growing as an athlete through this sport.” She also expressed deep appreciation for those who “inspired, encouraged, and believed in me. I could not have done it without all these people.”
Last, but most importantly, she said, “Glory to God for giving me the ability to play this amazing sport.”
