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 Jan. 30, 2013)
Alexis Hofstaedter is the very definition of a team-first athlete. The Council Rock South senior recently broke the longstanding career assist record of Ben Luber, an assist record that includes not only Rock South but the entire Council Rock South School District. The senior point guard was unfazed. “I’m not one to be ‘Oh, I want records,’” Hofstaedter said. “I just want to do what I can to win. I’m more about the team game aspect.” In Hofstaedter’s case, that isn’t just lip service. Give the senior point guard the option to shoot or pass, and she will pass every day of the week. Unless, of course, she has a mandate to shoot, which is exactly what coach Monica Stolic has given Hofstaedter this season. “I told her at the end of the season last year that Alex (Wheatley) is graduating, and we’re missing 18 points and 20 rebounds a game,” the Rock South coach said. “I told her, I really need you to pick up your scoring.’ I wasn’t positive she would do it, she’s not used to it, but she more than doubled her average.”
Hofstaedter is averaging close to 16 points a game after averaging eight last season, and she admits she’d still prefer passing to her teammates. “She has great court vision – she sees the floor very well,” Stolic said. “She gets the ball out in transition, and she’s so unselfish.”
Hofstaedter cannot talk about basketball without mentioning the profound impact her team’s involvement with Athletes Helping Athletes has had on her life. “That has really opened my eyes,” she said. “I see they’re like us, and they have their own personalities. When times are rough, you see them and some of the things they go through are harder than anything we go through, and it opens up your mind.” As a result of her involvement with AHA, Hofstaedter is seriously considering pursuing a career in special education.
Next fall, Hofstaedter will major in elementary education when she enrolls at the College of William & Mary. Last November, the then junior made a verbal commitment to accept a basketball scholarship to the prestigious academic institution. She chose William & Mary from a final list that included West Point and Sacred Heart.
To read Hofstaedter’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/alexis-hofstaedter-0031911
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Jan. 30, 2013)
John Kanas is the captain and leading scorer of his basketball squad, but that’s not what defines the Souderton senior who has a heart for missions. This past summer, Kanas went on a two-week trip to Uganda* where he was part of a seven-member team that offered mentorship training to victims of a country that has been terrorized by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). “It’s incredible stuff for him at that age to be that mature,” coach Pete Chimera said. “This wasn’t just handing out food and doing readings, even though those things are very important too. These were hardcore therapy sessions.” While in Uganda, the group tried to advance the local culture and quality of life. “There were lessons on how to be good parents, how to treat kids and treat situations,” Kanas said. “For instance, men there still find it acceptable to beat their wives if they don’t cook a good meal. It really put things in perspective. We have issues here in America, but it’s nothing like what they have to deal with there.”
Mission trips are nothing new to Kanas, who went on his first trip in fourth grade with his family and four other families to Zambia. He has done mission work in the United States as well as in Kenya, the Canary Islands and the Dominican Republic. Back in the States, Kanas is focusing on lighter things, like basketball. Souderton is within striking distance of a conference title and hopes to make another foray into the state playoffs. Kanas is averaging 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. He also leads the team in steals and dunks. “He’s such a leader,” Chimera said. “On the court, he’s unbelievable. He’s the most competitive, energetic kid I’ve ever seen. He’s relentless. I’m so glad to coach him. He’s strong, athletic and always around the ball defensively. The rest of the team picks up on his competitiveness. It’s totally contagious.”
Kanas is a solid student who is being recruited by several Division 2 and 3 schools. Right now he’s leaning toward either Messiah College or Eastern University. He is uncertain of a major, but wherever he goes, the school will be getting a multi-dimensional student-athlete who keeps things in perspective. “When something goes wrong in basketball or in my life, I just remember the people over in Uganda and what they’re going through,” Kanas said.
To view Kanas’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/john-kanas-0031914
*For additional information about the two organizations that coordinated Kanas' trip to Uganda, please click on the following links: http://lighthousenetwork.org/ and http://rthm.cc/
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