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She’s a 5-foot-9 point guard. She led her team to the Wisconsin state title as a junior and state semifinals as a sophomore. She can slash and dish off. She can hit the 3. She’s a solid free-throw shooter. And she boasts a 4.1 grade-point average.
What more could a college coach want?
Jason Lauren, veteran area director for National Scouting Report in Milwaukee, knew he had found a really good prospect when he discovered Mandy Szymborski, a senior at Pius XI High School in Greenfield, Wisc.
“Mandy is an excellent leader,” Lauren said. “Watch her play. You can see that her teammates are drawn to her. They trust her because she makes great judgments. They look to her for leadership and she doesn’t shy away from that responsibility. She thrives under pressure and her teammates can sense her confidence. When she’s on the floor, there’s no question who’s in charge.”
Mandy does all of the little things, Lauren added.
“Mandy is not the type of player that will light up the scoreboard or blow you away with her athleticism, but she is the type of player every team wants,” he said. “As a point guard, she knows the game extremely well, she runs the offense very efficiently, rarely turns the ball over, plays excellent defense and is a very good leader. She does all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”
In addition, Mandy always accepts responsibility.
“Being responsible is a quality that I have learned through my years playing basketball,” she said. “In basketball and throughout life, I am going to make mistakes. Whether I learn from them and own up to them is what holds me responsible for those mistakes. If I own up to a bad play rather than yelling and blaming my teammates, it will allow me to become a more responsible and trustworthy teammate. Taking responsibility for my mistakes has taught me to act rationally and think like an adult. When I play teams and I see teammates yelling at one another, it reminds me that I never want my team to be like that. In order to stay away from that type of team relationship, every player, including myself, should act responsibly on and off the court.”
Although her scoring stats will not blow anyone away, Mandy is quite skilled at taking care of the basketball — a necessity for a collegiate point guard.
“Unless you already knew, you could not tell by watching her play if she is right- or left-handed,” Lauren said. “She’s at ease dribbling or passing with either hand. And when she drives the lane, she can go left or right with the ball. That’s a huge advantage for a point guard. It can mean the difference for a team over the course of a long season.”
What’s more, Mandy’s work ethic is second to none.
“Hard work has taught me that achievements are not just handed to me,” Mandy said. “I will not achieve my goals unless I work hard. I was not the strongest player out on the court when I was younger; therefore, I worked hard to improve. I started weightlifting and eating healthy, along with improving my basketball skills, and have drastically improved by putting in tremendous amounts of effort. These traits will allow me to be successful in my years after college, too.”
Mandy has received interest from dozens of NCAA Division III and NAIA schools and a handful of Division II schools.
“Whatever college Mandy ends up going to will be getting not only a very good player,” Lauren said, “but an excellent student and great kid.”
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.
Wow, Mandy is my Granddaughter and I am as proud of her as can be!! I have watched her grow up into this wonderful young lady with so many gifts! Thanks to the person who wrote this wonderful letter describing this very dedicated Basketball player!