SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Feb. 13, 2014)
Dreams do come true. Isabel Hansbury is living proof of that. The Bensalem senior will be playing collegiate softball at the school of her dreams – Hofstra University, and the journey she took to get there reads like a fairy tale. “I’m truly blessed,” Hansbury said. “It was like a movie, it was like a dream. It was crazy.” Hansbury’s story began in early November when she signed to play softball at Temple University only to find out a month later the school had made the decision to drop its softball program. “I was totally devastated,” Hansbury said. “I felt every emotion you could feel.”
Several weeks earlier, Bensalem softball coach Dan Schram had visited Hofstra, observed several of the team’s practices and spent the night at the home of coach Bill Edwards. He made a call to Edwards, who offered to help in any way he could. “He said, ‘Make a list of where she wants to go,’ and I said, ‘I think the list would be pretty easy – she wants to go to Hofstra.’” A date was set for Hansbury to attend a clinic at Hofstra. “After the clinic was over, we met in his office, and he offered me a roster,” Hansbury said. “It was really a surreal experience. From everything I’ve been through – signing with Temple and then having it taken away and committing to Hofstra, the place I always wanted to go – it’s a dream come true. Definitely 100 percent a dream come true.”
A varsity starter at shortstop since she was a freshman, Hansbury has been a cornerstone of the program’s turnaround under Schram. “She’s a very special kid, and she has a tremendous up side,” the Owls’ coach said. “She’s 5-9, she’s fast, she’s strong, she’s got range, and she can pitch if she has to. She’s a tremendous power hitter. She’s got a very fast bat. When she’s confident, she dominating. She can take over a game by herself. She will have games where her offensive numbers carry a team.”
Just as she excels on the softball field, Hansbury also excels in the classroom where she is enrolled in AP and honors classes. She is uncertain of her major in collage.
To read Hansbury’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/isabel-hansbury-0041734
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Feb. 13, 2014)
Bryce Dobisch has all but made up his mind about the next chapter of his basketball life. While admitted to West Chester and James Madison universities, the Central Bucks South senior has decided to accept a guarantee to stay on the hardwood at Juniata College. He will be the third generation Dobisch to play college basketball, following a path blazed by his grandfather, Fred, and father, Brian. Fred Dobisch, out of Frankford High, was on the Temple squad that reached the Final Four in 1958 and lost by a point in the semifinals to eventual champion Kentucky. Brian Dobisch, after starring at William Tennent, went on to play at King’s College.
When the Titans’ tri-captain displays his leadership skills, whether it is with a fiery pep talk to the whole squad or lifting the spirits of a younger teammate down on himself, he is channeling his father and grandfather. “My dad always inspired me,” Bryce said. “He was always there for me, no matter what I needed. And my grandfather has been great. He comes to every game.” Dobisch, who admits he was his own worst enemy in the past, has caught the eye and appreciation of the coaching staff. “He has grown as a leader, on and off the court,” coach Jason Campbell said. “From a player who had talent as a shooter coming out of middle school to being a sophomore who found out that playing better defense would be his ticket to earning playing time. The adjustment from being the star player (at Unami Middle School) to figuring out how to adjust and mature with older, more experienced players was a challenge, but over time, he learned a lot from it.” The real game Dobisch has won is the one within himself. “In my opinion, Bryce is a true success story,” said assistant coach Josh Williams. “As coaches, we have looked at Bryce to do a lot for us this year, and he has done nothing but deliver on every level, (doing) anything from a team pep talk to wanting the ball at the end of the game. He really is a true success story, and it has been an honor to coach him. He has made his family, his teammates, his teachers and his coaches all very proud.”
To view Dobisch’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/bryce-dobisch-0041735
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