Naperville North junior Sam Kelly has wanted to be in the driver’s seat — and not just in the family car — ever since she started high school.
Kelly’s dream was to be the varsity point guard. There was just one problem. Classmate Natalie Frempong, a Division I prospect, already had that position locked down and led the Huskies in scoring last season.
But Frempong didn’t have a problem moving to shooting guard and handing the keys to the offense to a varsity rookie.
“I think Sam has done a great job of stepping up,” Frempong said. “It’s definitely a tough job coming immediately from JV all the way to starting point guard.”
Kelly’s emergence has allowed Frempong to focus more on scoring without having to face double teams when bringing the ball up the court.
“Offensively, I kind of started to last year, so I don’t feel like it is such a weight,” Frempong said about scoring. “I’ve been training all summer playing EYBL, so I’m used to the offensive game.”
Kelly, meanwhile, is focused more on other areas.
“She’s definitely there for defensive intensity,” Frempong said. “She knows when someone is hot. She knows when we have to pass. She’s just a great all-around point guard.”
The 5-foot-6 Kelly demonstrated some of those skills during Naperville North’s 71-41 nonconference loss to Hinsdale Central on Tuesday.
The Huskies were down 15 when Kelly passed to senior guard Anna Richards for a 3-pointer that started a 12-2 run, during which Kelly also made a steal and fed Frempong for an inside basket and then assisted on another basket by junior forward Ema Gilvydis.
It was a glimpse of what is possible for Kelly, who is enjoying her starting role. She finished with two points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Kelly said. “(Varsity) is a big difference. It’s something I’ve been wanting since my freshman year, so it’s good to finally achieve that goal.
“I need to continue to work to get better, but I think we’ve had an OK start so far, so I want to get better for my teammates.”
The Huskies (5-3) were playing their first game without sophomore forward Ava Podkasik, who suffered a broken finger during their 56-48 win against York on Saturday.
“Ava is definitely our spark defensively,” Naperville North coach Aly Miller said. “She does a lot of little things that don’t necessarily show up on the scoreboard.
“But even without her, I think we’ve got a lot of great pieces. We just have to keep repping girls in different spots and figure out how we’re going to put that puzzle together.”
One area the young Huskies, who have just three seniors, seem to have figured out is the backcourt. Frempong, who scored 21 points against Hinsdale Central (6-2), has managed to excel from either spot but can let loose as the shooting guard.
“I feel that I’m dominant playing the 1 or the 2,” Frempong said. “It lets me expand and not have to worry about ballhandling and bringing up the ball that much.”
Frempong is tutoring Kelly.
“She’s taught me a lot,” Kelly said. “The biggest thing she’s told me is to play my game — don’t let them speed you up, slow you down or pressure you.
“The other thing is she’s given me a lot of confidence because she’s told me, ‘Hey, you can bring the ball. Don’t feel the need to just pass it up the entire time. Have the confidence in yourself to be the point guard and the leader on the team.’”
Frempong told her teammates they had to quickly learn from the loss to Hinsdale Central and prepare for the rivalry game against Naperville Central on Friday.
“(The lesson) is just keeping a good energy and keeping a level head the entire game,” Kelly said. “We had certain spurts of energy, and then we would kind of lay back a little bit. We can’t have that layback.
“We need to keep the energy going consistently because they’re going to continue to do what Hinsdale Central just did — keep pushing us.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
