Emma Kauf was not one of the go-to scorers, or one of the top free-throw shooters during Lincoln Southwest’s run to a girls state basketball championship a season ago.
She was, however, a key role player, and the then-sophomore played an instrumental part in the Silver Hawks winning their first Class A title.
The standout softball player — a Georgia Tech commit — was at the free-throw line late in both the state semifinals and championship game. Her coach knew she could handle the situation.
“She gets up and knocks down both of those free throws,” Southwest coach Jeff Rump recalls. “This is a kid who’s used to being at the plate with two outs and a 3-2 count, having to deliver at somebody who’s throwing a rise ball into her fists … free throws are not that big a deal for her.
“She knows what she needs to do mentally in that tough situation to knock shots down.”
Rump was referring to Kauf’s multi-sport mentality, but it doesn’t stop there for the athletic Silver Hawks. Every varsity basketball player competes in at least two sports at Southwest, and it’s a recipe for success at the school.
“I cannot discount the importance of having multi-sport athletes, because they just know how to compete,” Rump said. “When your kids just play one sport, they get one opportunity in a district championship or conference tournament to really compete when something’s on the line.”
At schools like Southwest, those opportunities multiply. The 14 varsity players have combined for 51 state tournament appearances when you count all the team sports, Rump said.
Kauf and Caelyn Christiancy are first-team Super-State softball players and were integral parts of a state runner-up finish. Both compete in track, too. Christiancy, one of the top three-sport athletes in the state and a South Dakota State softball signee, was an all-class gold-medal winner in the 300-meter hurdles last spring.
The list goes on, and the benefits are showing in basketball.
It took some time for the Southwest girls basketball team to get on track this year. They started 3-4, but are playing extremely well — having won 10 of 12 games — heading into this week’s state tournament. The No. 5 Silver Hawks will play No. 3 Millard North in the first round.
No question, the multi-sport experience has played a part in that, said Rump, who added the Silver Hawks’ shooting numbers in the fourth quarter are typically higher than in the second and third quarters.
“That ability to compete in other sports and bring that to a pressure situation, it’s invaluable,” Rump said.
Southwest awards athlete-of-the-year honors to kids in each class. To receive it as a freshman, sophomore or junior, athletes must participate in three sports. For seniors, it’s two sports.
Helping encourage multi-sport participation is the support of the school’s coaches.
“We have the most amazing group of coaches at every sport that are willing to work together and share those athletes, and create this community of support where softball kids know that when they’re out for basketball, they’re being supported by Coach (Mark) Watt,” Rump said. “Coach (Travis) Schuster is always supporting all the kids out for track when they’re in another sport. (Volleyball) Coach (Mark) Novotny and myself and the other coaches, we go watch those kids participate in those sports, and keep track of what they’re doing.”