WAVERLY'S WESTBROOK HONORED FOR JOINING 1,000-POINT CLUB

By: Tim Birney | Waverly Athletics | February 7, 2023 | Photo courtesy David Alliger

WAVERLY — On Friday, Waverly senior Kennedy Westbrook became the 10th girl to score 1,000 points in school history, and longtime coach Bob Kelly says she has joined a very selective group.

Waverly honored Westbrook prior to Tuesday night’s home game against Thomas A. Edison.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” said Kelly. “She is the fourth one I’ve had here (Sidney Tomasso, Alex Tomasso, and Elle Nittinger) … as a whole, it’s pretty nice company to be in.”

Westbrook, who now has 1,002 points, joins Katie Histed (1,955 points), Nittinger (1,552), Rachel Sheppard (1,339), Sidney Tomasso (1,337), Becky Baker (1,323), Alex Tomasso (1,134), Sabrina Bowman (1,080), Jill Stolicker (1,010), and Kelly Thomas (1,006).

For her part, Westbrook knew she was close, but didn’t know how close heading into Friday game.

“It feels really good to get 1,000,” she said. “I knew I had to be close, but I was surprised when I got it there at (Watkins Glen), I was hoping to get it at home.

“I was really surprised when I got it,” added Westbrook with a smile. “Everyone started clapping, and they were clapping for a long time.”

Westbrook is the fourth of five siblings, including sister Morgan and brother Aric, who were both NTL first-team all-star at Athens, but she is the first to reach 1,000 points.

“I know they’re all happy for me.

“Aric will be mad I said this, but he finally admitted I’m the most athletic one in the family,” laughed Westbrook

“It stinks none of them did it, but they’re all happy for me,” she added.

Of course, Kennedy is not the first one in her family to score 1,000 points. Her aunt, Jennifer (Nichols) Judson, is the all-time leading scorer in Athens girls’ history with 1,528 points.

“My parents said she was super-happy for me, just watching her reaction,” said Westbrook. “I think it’s super-cool to have another 1,000-point scorer in the family now.”

Westbrook, who transferred from Athens to Waverly prior to her freshman year, was quick to note she could have never accomplished the milestone without her teammates.

“Coming here as a freshman, and being new to the team and the school, everyone made me feel welcome,” she said. “They made me feel like I had been part of the team for years.

“Now, this team has grown together,” noted Westbrook. “My teammates knew I was close to getting close to 1,000 points, and they were all happy and excited for me.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without my teammates from my freshman year on,” Westbrook added.

Kelly said Westbrook does all the little things, too.

“She’s a very hard worker, and has a heck of a lot of energy,” he said. “She enjoys the game, and is a great leader.

“She’s put the time in, and when you do that, good things happen,” Kelly added.

When the live action begins, said Kelly, Westbrook is a handful for the opposing teams to deal with.

“I certainly like the ball in her hands, a lot of good things happen,” he said. “I love how she pushes the ball up the court … she makes good decisions with the basketball a majority of the time.

“She can attack the basket, she can shoot from the outside, and she plays defense,” he noted. “She really is the total package.

“I’ll say the second half of this season it’s been pretty impressive what she’s doing,” added Kelly.

Westbrook is more focused on her team than personal milestones.

“I think we have a really good shot in the postseason,” she said.

“Everything is really coming together for us, and the team chemistry is flowing really well now,” added Westbrook. “I think we’ll go far in the postseason.”

Westbrook, who is headed to play Division I soccer at NJIT in the fall, will definitely miss her time on the hardwoods.

“I will 100-percent miss basketball … I’m already missing basketball now, while playing it.

“I know this is my last season,” said said. “It’s sad to know I’ll never play with my sister (Addison) again. It’s a really sad, but heart-felt season for me.”