Brooke Fenchel’s senior basketball season didn’t go quite how she expected.

Last year at this time, Fenchel was preparing for a second straight district and state playoff run with her Souderton team.

This year, the Big Red went 3-19 and ended its season, and Fenchel’s high school career, in the regular season.

It certainly wasn’t the season she expected. But it just may have been the season she needed.

“It was a hard adjustment,” said Fenchel. “It took some stepping back to see that the outcomes weren’t going to be great, but there was still much to learn about myself.”

As the team’s lone senior and a first-year captain, Fenchel developed two goals for herself. She wanted to work with the younger players and lay the foundation for their future success. And she wanted to continue developing her own skills ahead of college.

She succeeded beautifully in both.

“This year I was able to improve parts of my game, such as mid-range shooting and working on finishes,” said Fenchel, “I was grateful to have those opportunities.”

Leaving a legacy at Souderton before following a legend

Fenchel, like any incoming college student, is eager to make a great impression on her Messiah University coaches and teammates next fall. But Fenchel had a little more incentive, as she carries a legacy with her to Mechanicsburg.

Fenchel’s mother, Jess Lundgren Fenchel, played basketball for Messiah under current head coach Mike Miller.

“I always had Messiah in mind for college, as I feel at home there,” Fenchel said. “I grew up going to their games. My mom used to give pre-game speeches to the team in the locker room.”

In the event her mom decides to delve back into speech writing, her daughter could give her hand.

Fenchel plans to major in communications and public relations, with a minor in journalism.

“I’ve always loved writing and it was something that came naturally to me,” said Fenchel, who is taking an advanced writing class this year.

She’s also picked up plenty of communication skills as a member of the Athletic Leadership Council, where speakers share new leadership strategies and how to implement them on their own teams.

After what she learned this season, Fenchel could be the one leading those discussions.

Making a difference for her young teammates

“I was used to playing with girls who were at such a high level with focus on the postseason,” Fenchel said of the Big Red, who went 46-13 and clinched two state playoff berths over the last two seasons. “I had to change my mindset this year.

“I tried to help the younger players adjust to new roles that they weren’t used to, and improve their confidence. We had plenty of hard conversations.”

Those “hard conversations” included topics that normally might come from a coach, but had less sting coming from a peer.

“I know it can be hard to take perceived criticism from a coach when you are a young player,” Fenchel said. “I tried to soften the blow while helping the girls understand what they needed to do on the court and what they needed to work on.”

That also meant understanding that what she was doing this season wouldn’t pay dividends right away.

“Her role on and off the court became much bigger this year and she handled it with grace and maturity,” coach Lynn Carroll said. “Our goal every day was to become a better basketball team than the day before. While it didn't always show in the win column, this group undoubtedly improved on a daily basis and that was due in large part to how Brooke handled herself.”

In addition to leading the team in scoring, the 5-foot-9 shooting guard also worked to strengthen team chemistry. It was yet another adjustment for Fenchel, who was very close to last year’s graduating seniors. But organizing team dinners and pizza-making parties went a long way toward creating bonds.

“At times this season was a grind,” Fenchel admits. “But I had to remember that it was about building for the future success of the team.”

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Making the most of her newfound free time

With her high school season ending earlier than usual, and her time with Fever & Force AAU concluded, Fenchel is looking at some rare free time.

In addition to planning school dances as a member of the Student Council, Fenchel plans to take up a new sport this spring.

“I thought about joining lacrosse again, but decided to sign up for flag football instead,” said Fenchel.

As a member of Souderton's inaugural flag football team, it looks like Fenchel will again be building a foundation for teams to come.

She also looks forward to spending more time with her family before heading to college.

“I love traveling and hiking, especially to National Parks, which I haven’t been able to do much of the past few years,” Fenchel said.

Her experiences this past year has also led Fenchel to consider coaching in the future.

“I know now how much patience it takes to be a coach,” Fenchel said with a laugh. “It’s definitely something I've considered, but I don’t know if I have that level of patience.”

There is a group of young basketball players at Souderton High School that would disagree with that assessment.

“We talk a lot in our program about players having a lasting impact long after they've graduated,” Carroll said. “Any success that we might have over the next few years will be a direct result of the impact that Brooke has made.”

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High School Basketball: Souderton senior Brooke Fenchel gave it all