AMD Industries’ Venick captures MVISBL girls MVP

By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com
All summer long, AMD Industries standout Kaylin Venick has served as a valuable asset in a multitude of ways.
The Trinity senior has provided veteran leadership on a junior heavy squad and has played at a high level both offensively and defensively.
Her all-around game helped AMD capture the inaugural Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League girls division championship Wednesday and it also led her to garner the Melanie Greco Player of the Year award.
Venick finished out her summer league career with an 11-point performance in AMD’s 58-45 victory over Monessen Florist in the title game Wednesday night.
“Kaylin has been a dream to coach,” AMD Industries head coach Bria Rathway said. “Her hard work, leadership and determination to win is second to none and has been reflected in how successful the team has been this season. She has been a leader for this team all season not only with the way she plays but the way she communicates with her teammates.”
Venick finished the regular season as the girls division’s leading scorer, averaging 14.7 points per game. She posted seven double-digit scoring games and poured in a season-high 24 points in AMD’s regular season finale. Venick scored 20-plus points on three occasions this summer.
“Her high basketball IQ and play making ability makes her very tough to guard,” Rathway said. “Not only is she crafty and capable of getting to the rim, she also has a consistent jump shot and three, which forces the defense to always have to be aware of where she is at all times, even when she does not have the ball.”
While Venick has always possessed the ability to score at will, Rathway has noticed one aspect of her game that has improved over the last two summers.
“The biggest improvement I have seen in her is the confidence she has in herself,” said Rathway, who just finished up her second season as AMD head coach. “Her increased self-confidence is what has separated her between the player she is this year and the player she was last year.”
Over the last three summers, Venick has helped lead AMD to three championship games in the J. Budd Grebb Memorial Summer Basketball League and the MVISBL.
It’s no coincidence that Venick has played in big games and won them. She’s now a two-time summer league champion as she was also a part of AMD’s 2018 title-winning team, which was coached by current Charleroi head girls basketball coach Bill Wagner.
“Leading your team to the championship game three times is by no means a coincidence. She is the type of player that is going to do whatever she has to do to put her team in the best position to get there and her willingness to do that is what has made her teams so successful,” Rathway said. “I’ve seen her this year have two points in the first half then go on a 10-0 run by herself in the first couple minutes of the second half.”
Scoring isn’t the only thing Venick has done well as she also helped lead and set the tone for AMD’s consistently stifling defense.
Venick, a player that takes pride in her work on the defensive end, finished the regular season with the third most steals (20) and was in the top 30 in rebounds (30).
“Kaylin’s ability to get deflections and force turnovers has allowed the team to go on big runs in critical moments,” Rathway said. “Her willingness to put her body on the line with the amount of charges she is willing to take shows how much this means to her and it has earned her the respect from not only her teammates, but all the other players in the league as well.”
And when Rathway has had to shut down a star player on the opposing team, she didn’t have to look any further than Venick. In fact, the veteran relished the opportunity and the challenge.
“She is always volunteering to guard the best player on the other team and she takes pride in it,” Rathway said. “She has held some of the league’s top scorers to less then double digits in a game when she’s still putting up 20 points, that is just a hard worker.”
Venick accepted her player of the year award during a pre-game ceremony Wednesday.
She was also named a first-team all-star selection along with Alyssa Clutter (Edward Jones), Katie Hoff (Cedarbrook), Hannah Pugliese (Monessen Florist) and Eden Williamson (AMD).
Second-team selections were Bailie Brinson (AMD), Ella Cupka and Emma Seto (Dax Thomas State Farm), Emily Venick (Monessen Florist) and Graci Fairman (Lee Supply).