“We’d be stupid not to take her, right?”

 

These were the first words out of my mouth when I received the phone call from Bill Andree…Baylee was maybe looking for a new travel basketball team.

 

I had guards, really good ones. Fantastic passers, gritty defenders, a top 20 shooter in the state, and an up-and-coming prospect whom I had been watching for 2 years.

 

But I didn’t have a Baylee. Baylee is just…different.

 

Like her favorite player, Jazzy Davidson, Baylee is long, fast, and can make a big impact on both sides of the court.

 

Now, when I say “fast,” I’m afraid you are imagining a Greyhound running at 45mph around the track chasing a rabbit, and that, my friends, is simply just not fast enough.

 

I need you to be thinking of a Peregrine Falcon diving after its prey at 240mph. Because if you’ve ever played against Baylee, and you’re the prey…that’s what it feels like. The girl is lightning embodied.

 

That speed makes her extremely dangerous in both basketball and soccer, her two sports of choice at Spring Lake.

 

“I just enjoy playing them and the competitiveness of each one. I truly love both and couldn’t manage my life without either.” Baylee said when I asked which she liked better.

 

You might see Baylee on the field or the court and think, “Wait…I’ve seen her before, like 4 years ago, and that name sounds familiar…”

 

You wouldn’t be wrong because Baylee is following in the footsteps of her biggest athletic inspiration, her sister Ella, who also played soccer and basketball for the Lakers.

 

“She’s my biggest inspiration for sure,” says B, “her passion and hard work in sports make me want to be a better player and person. And the way she came back from her ACL injury, her first year at Saint Mary’s showed me how strong you can be when you really want something”.

 

Baylee’s grit has & determination, inspired by her sister’s, manifested most recently in a tough conference hoops battle against rival Holland Christian, where Baylee played ¾ of the game with a break in her middle finger where it attaches to her right hand.

 

“There was 4 minutes left in the first quarter, and I went up for a rebound. We got tied up, and I thought I just jammed my middle finger. Turns out, it was a bit more. It hurt every time I shot, and I had 0 points, but I wasn’t coming out against HC,” she recalls.

“Baylee has worked through so many injuries as a player, and her perseverance is something that I admire,” praises Ella, “My favorite part of watching her grow in her sports is seeing her put time in during the offseason and work through challenges”.

 

Proud parents Bill and Julie also admire her determination.

 “The memory that probably describes her the best was an AAU game a couple of years ago, where she dove for a loose ball against a girl twice her size and ended up getting her chin split wide open. She was more worried about getting stitched up so she could come back and be with her teammates than anything else. That just tells you who she is — tough, team-first, and loves to compete. Those are the moments you love as a parent…and during the 2024 district tournament soccer game when Baylee and Ella checked into the game together. Seeing both your kids out there on a state championship team is something I’ll never forget. That was really special for our family”.

Moments. That’s what makes sport so impactful. Moments. No one remembers wins or loss records 20 years from now. But they remember moments.  

 

These moments keep us coming back. Not just to the sport, but together as a family, community, and society. We gather, some of us with no skin in the game whatsoever, for moments created by our students and curated by tens of thousands of dollars & uncountable hours, tears, worry, sleepless nights, and prayers from parents, friends, and family.

 

These moments make us.

 

 A good friend of mine often says, “It takes a village”.

 

She’s right. I’m grateful it’s our Village. And, I’m grateful I get to watch Baylee Andree help create the moments that make it.