Name: Kamryn Mengel
Height: 5-7
Position: Point Guard
High School: North Schuylkill (PA)
Graduation Class: 2023
AAU Club: Philly Comets GUAA
GPA: 4.0
Opportunities: Northland
Status: Uncommitted
Kamryn Mengel is a 5-7 Point Guard from Frackville, Pennsylvania. She's currently a junior at North Schuylkill High School, and runs with the Philly Comets on the Under Armour circuit. Mengel has received an opportunity to play at Northland College.
For Mengel's project, I, Tyreese Smith have invited a special guest to join me on the blog this morning. Olivia Jones, Cedar Cliff's standout freshman, has known Mengel for a hot minute. They were former Mid Penn Motion teammates, and are very close off the court.
Jones caught up with Mengel in an interview on her junior campaign, the move to the Under Armour circuit and preparation for her senior season. Check out the interview below, Mengel provided a lot of great answers!
Kamryn Mengel Interview (Hosted by Olivia Jones)
When did you start playing basketball?
"I started playing basketball when I was around five years old. I was in kindergarten when our school had the junior Spartans."
Describe how you are as a player from the skill standpoint?
"I feel as if I have really developed into a strong player in general. My IQ as a player has grown the most with making the right decisions with the ball, and seeing the court. I really know how to read defenders, and how to attack them when i have the ball. My shooting hasn’t always been exactly lights out, but I have been working on it. I’d definitely say I’ve improved that aspect of my game."
How was your junior season?
"My junior season definitely wasn’t the most ideal season. My freshman year we won the league and our district, then the following year we won our league and we fell short in districts. This year we lost the league, and made it to district semi-finals which is a great accomplishment. I’m sure most teams would love to be there, but i just wasn’t satisfied with that. We did play very well this year, but i also saw it as a rebuilding year. We lost six seniors, which four of them gave us solid minutes so that was definitely a loss. And, we had to throw three to four kids in a game where they never had any varsity experience, so it was definitely a learning year for sure. I did reach my a thousand point milestone this year which was a great moment. I just loved the support from not just my team, but the whole school was so supportive and it really was just an amazing experience. As from a team standpoint, we went 22 and 6. It really wasn’t a bad year, I’m just looking to improve that record and bring home a few medals next year."
North Schuylkill is in the middle of nowhere, do you live on a farm?
"I do live in the middle of nowhere in Schuylkill county, yes. I start my morning by waking up to the roosters crowing. Then, I start milking the cows and collecting eggs. Then for my workout of the day, I flip some bales of hay. I end my day by herding the cattle, and then I head back to the house where I go to bed and repeat."
You’re still at a very early stage of your career. What kinds of things are you doing to make yourself the best player you can be?
"It’s very hard to get my workouts in between having basketball Tuesday and Thursday, and work Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. But I try to get shots up whenever I can. There’s really nowhere I can use an indoor gym, so I go to the local park or in my alley where I have a hoop. As for lifting, I try to get to the gym and lift often. We start lifting for high school in a few weeks, so that’s where I get the majority of my lifting and strength from."
What are your plans for spring/summer?
"This spring I’ll be playing on the Under Armour circuit with the Philly Comets. Our major tournaments are going to be in Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, and at Spooky Nook Sports. Then, we’ll be traveling, well I will be traveling, to local tournaments in Philadelphia and New Jersey area for some tune up tournaments before we start our major ones."
Making the switch from Mid Penn Motion to the Under Armour circuit, why did you decide to join the Philly Comets and how has your experience been?
"The switch from Mid Penn Motion to Comets was very hard. MPM was my family for five years, so leaving them and not being able to play with them was super upsetting for me and my family too. The story about how I found out about the comets was we were actually playing them in tournaments at spooky nook. The Comets coach approached my MPM coach. He wanted to see if me, and two of my teammates would consider switching circuits. At first, I thought no way. I was actually with Orose (Olivia Jones) when her mom texted her and asked, and I told her, 'Absolutely not,' and no way would I. But we talked to the coach after one of our games, and it seemed like a great opportunity. After we talked to the comets coach we had a talk with my current coach, and some of the girls on the team and we all decided it was the best chance for me to get exposure. So I finished the season with MPM, and then the following year I started with comets. It was very different than what I was used to, and it was very hard to accept the change that was happening. I enjoyed it my first year, but when you have five returning girls and five new girls on a team, it’s hard for a team to mesh well. But we had a pretty good year finishing 9 out of 41 teams in the Under Armour circuit, and we gave up the least amount of points out of any Under Armour team. I’m still very sad I won’t get to play with any of the MPM girls, but I’m so glad we’re still friends and they have supported me all throughout everything."
From your high school experience, who was one of your favorite teammates and why?
"I would definitely say there’s some really good girls I’ve played with throughout high school, but my favorite was Olivia jones. I will have to say i am a little salty about the fact she’s taller than me now because when we started i was the taller one, but i can’t be TOO mad about it. We started playing together when i was in fifth and she was in third. You wouldn’t even be able to tell that she was two years younger than us because she played like she was two years older. I truly just admire her work ethic, and her drive. I just loved playing with her. We always knew where each other was on the court, we could make a pass without even looking and would just know the other one would be there. I got beat on defense I knew she’d be there. I am sad we most likely won’t be playing together again, but I’m so glad we got the opportunity to for those five years. I can’t wait to see where her career takes her."
Which athlete do you look up to the most?
"For the hooper I look up to most, it might sound old school, but I’m going to have to go with Michael Jordan. I’m not one for really watching pro basketball, but he was my dad's favorite and I always just kinda heard him talking about it growing up. Where i really started looking up to him might sound cheesy, but it was when the documentary came out about him and the (Chicago) Bulls on Netflix. I truly just wanted to work harder, and put everything in me into basketball."
Who do you look up to as role models?
"I would definitely say i look up to my Mid Penn Motion coaches. They shaped me into the player I am today, and I truly am grateful for them. I know everyone says this, but I look up to my mom a ton. She gives more to basketball than I do sometimes I think. She’s the president of the boosters for my high school team, runs team dinners for all of us, drives me two hours to and from practice on Tuesday’s and Thursdays. She also plans out road-trips for all our drives to Alabama, Kentucky, and Ohio. She just gives me everything i need to succeed. I strive to be like her when I grow up."
I know it is still very early, but what are you looking forward to in your senior season?
"I really am looking forward to me senior season. We have a chance to do something really special this season as we’re only losing one senior. Our team in middle school was always so good because we were all bestfriends and all played together all the time. This would be the same team, which I think we all are really excited for. It’s going to be my last year, so i just plan on pouring my entire heart and soul into winning as much as we can."
Thank you Kam for taking the time to talk with me this morning. Do you have any words of encouragement or motivation for people? Any last words?
"Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I just want to say this to the people. If there’s an opportunity that presents itself to you, whether it be basketball or anything in life and you are thinking about doing it, do it. You never know what will happen and it could be the best opportunity you’ll get, so take the chance and just go for it. Miss you always Olivia!"
Kamryn Mengel UAA Summer 2021 Highlights - Philly Comets
Twitter @kamrynmengel13
High School Coach Information
Rich Wetzel - Email
AAU Coach Information
John McFadden - Email
Contact Tyreese Smith
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tyreesesmithh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyreesesmithh
Email: pwdculturemedia@gmail.com
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