When Brian Ferris was an assistant girls basketball coach at Franklin, he didn’t like having to come up with plans for defending against Addie Rund.
Now that he’s coaching Rund at Indian Creek, he doesn’t have to worry about it.
“It’s kind of nice to have that be where she’s on my side this time instead of having to defend that,” Ferris said.
Stopping Rund remains a problem for everyone else. Though she stands just 5-foot-3, the senior guard has made a nice living driving to the basket and mixing it up with girls a head taller than her.
“I use my speed a lot down there,” Rund explained. “I can’t think about the fear; so I just have to go for it, and most of the time that works out for me.”
Indeed it has. Through the Braves’ first eight games, Rund is averaging a team-high 14.8 points, having scored at least eight in every contest and reaching double figures six times. She opened the year with 19 against Tri-West and poured in a season-high 21 last weekend at Franklin.
The threat of Rund penetrating keeps opposing defenses honest, which not only gives the gritty point guard more room to get her own jump shot off but also creates opportunities for her teammates.
“(Oppoents) have got to focus on her, taking away that drive,” Ferris said, “and then the other players around her have to be ready, because she’s going to kick it to them.”
Ferris appreciates Rund’s full-throttle mentality, believing it sets a good example for the younger players in his program. Rund, meanwhile, is a fan of the up-tempo style that the first-year coach has introduced at Indian Creek.
“I like the fast pace that he’s brought,” she said. “It’s still a transition for the rest of the team and everything, but I think it’ll work out better in the end.”
The Braves are 4-4 so far, and they’ve displayed a knack for coming through in the clutch, winning three games by three points or fewer.
Their resolve in those tight situations stems, at least in part, from the attitude of their diminutive floor general.
“You can’t teach grit,” Ferris said of Rund.
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Addie Rund has been a consistent offensive force for Indian Creek this season. Her game-by-game scoring:
Opponent;Points
Tri-West;19
Martinsville;14
Cascade;8
Monrovia;17
Greenwood;15
GCA;16
Franklin;21
Beech Grove;8
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