A young Hannah Rehbaum learning at her mother Kara's side. Photo provided by Kara Rehbaum |
One of the first trips Hannah Rehbaum ever took was to the basketball gym at Canisius College. At least, so she's been told.
Rehbaum doesn't exactly remember the visit because she wasn't more than a few weeks old, but she was there with her mother, who at the time was the head coach of the Canisius women's basketball team.
It was the first of countless basketball practices, scrimmages and games Rehbaum would take in at her mother's side, and it was those experiences that would set her own path to a basketball career.
"I was always in the gym when she was coaching, always going to her games," Rehbaum said. "I wanted to be like her."
Rehbaum, a versatile 5-foot-9 senior forward, has become a go-to player on the court and a counted-on leader off the court for the Brockport women's basketball team. She ranks first on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), second in rebounding (6.7 rpg), second in blocks (five) and second in minutes (30.3 mpg). As one of only two seniors on this season's roster, Rehbaum is also the team's lone captain.
"She has a high basketball IQ, she's a coach's kid," head coach Corinne Jones said. "Hannah can do all types of things in the game."
In that regard, Rehbaum has followed in the footsteps of her mother, Kara Rehbaum (known as Kara Haun during her playing days). Kara was a standout for Canisius, graduating in 1984 as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Prior to her graduation in 1984, Kara had been informed that was she drafted by the Atlanta Comets of the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA).
Kara, a Rochester, N.Y., native, jumped at the chance to continue her playing career at a challenging level and, in the process, experience a new lifestyle and culture in the southeastern United States.
"She loved it," Rehbaum said. "She said she was one of the only white girls on the team, so it was a very different experience from where she played in college. She said it was a lot of work, but she wouldn't have traded it for anything."
The experience, while rewarding, was short-lived for Kara. Though the first-year league featured a number of prominent women's players at the time, including Nancy Lieberman, Pamela McGee and Molly Bolin, funding was short. The league shut down after just one season, and 10 months after she had arrived in Atlanta, Kara was headed back to New York to begin her coaching career at Canisius.
Though it only lasted one season, the WABA helped pioneer professional women's basketball in the U.S., and helped lay some of the foundation for what would become the WNBA, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this past season.
Seven years after her playing career ended, Kara and her husband John had their first child, Connor, who went on to become successful college basketball player at Hobart. Two years later, they welcomed Hannah, and she's been soaking up her mother's basketball knowledge ever since.
"She tells me what I need to be better at a lot of the time," Rehbaum said with a laugh. "It's a lot of constructive criticism."
Jones took over as Brockport's head coach prior to last season, but her previous coaching experience included includes stints at Niagara, Buffalo, Genesee Community College, and Rochester. Jones said she has gotten to know Kara, who has worked as an assistant athletic director at Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., since 2004, well over the last 12 years, and that she has leaned on Kara more than once for advice and support on juggling coaching and parenting.
"I respect her for that and feel comfortable talking to her about forgetting my outfit for the game and I'm pregnant and I've got to run to T.J. Maxx and get another one," Jones said. "She can completely understand that craziness. I don't know that I would tell any other mom that because I don't know that they'd get it, but she does."
Brockport is off to an 0-3 start this season with single-digit losses to RIT, D'Youville and Morrisville State. In Jones' first season the Golden Eagles finished 13-13, notching their first non-losing season since 2008-09, but some growing pains are expected in year two after the losses of all-SUNYAC standouts Olivia Suhr and Hannah Spencer. Eleven of the 14 players on Brockport's roster are freshmen or sophomores.
Hannah Rehbaum, a natural leader by example, has stepped into a more vocal role this season which she admits has challenged the limits of her comfort zone. But she is also quick to point out that she has had the benefit of leaning on two experienced coaches -- one of whom happens to double as her mother and biggest fan.
Hannah Rehbaum, an education major pursuing a teaching career in physical education, also hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps as a basketball coach. Jones, a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), nominated Hannah for the association's "So You Want To Be A Coach" program prior to the start of this season.
"It basically gives young women in coaching professional development into what it is like to be a coach, so they can really make the decision, 'Is this what I want to do or not?'" Jones said. "It really sets them up to be successful in the career of coaching."
The application involved a written personal statement, a video portion, and references, among other details. Jones said they will find out in February whether Hannah is selected.
"When coach Jones got here, she challenged me at different levels," Rehbaum said. "I saw how good of a coach she is, and I have my mom obviously, too, so I've just seen what it takes to be a good and successful coach."
A quick look ahead
This space is usually reserved for short notebook items on specific teams and/or players, as well as notable performances and top-25 poll results. But since this is the first column of the season, and most teams have only played a handful of games, I thought it made sense to quickly recap the top contenders for each of the East's conferences in 2016-17. Welcome back to college basketball, everyone!
Empire 8
Senior forward Keegan Ryan, a second-team D3hoops.com preseason All-American, returns for St. John Fisher, the reigning conference regular-season champion. The Cardinals will try to wash away the sour taste of last season's 93-91 loss to Hartwick in the conference tournament final that left St. John Fisher on the outside looking for the NCAA tournament.
On the women's side, St. John Fisher tied with Stevens atop the conference standings last season before falling to Ithaca in the conference tournament. The Cardinals still received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Muhlenberg in the first round. Fisher did lose some key pieces from last year's team, including Mary Kate Cusack.
Liberty League
RIT enters the season as the women's favorite in the Liberty League after a 20-win season in 2015-16. The Tigers return four starters, including sophomore forward Tara Lynch, last season's Rookie of the Year. Skidmore should bounce back this season after a 14-11 mark last season. The Thoroughbreds also return four starters, including junior guard Kelly Donnelly, last season's Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
On the men's side, Skidmore was a unanimous choice in the preseason coaches' poll to win the conference title. The Thoroughbreds won last season's regular-season and conference tournament titles, as well as a first-round NCAA game against Franklin and Marshall. Fifth-year senior Aldin Medunjanin returns after missing most of last season with an injury, and sophomore Edvinas Rupkus, last season's Rookie of the Year, also returns.
SUNYAC
The Plattsburgh State men's team has qualified for the NCAA tournament in three of the last four seasons, but all of those bids have come via at-large selections. Last season, the Cardinals posted a 16-2 mark in conference play, only to fall to Oswego State in the conference tournament. Sophomore forward Jonathan Patron, last season's SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, is poised for a strong season. Geneseo State, led by junior forward Justin Ringen, is another team to watch.
The women's SUNYAC conference race was wide open last season, with only two games separating first-place New Paltz and fifth-place Oneonta. New Paltz earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, falling to Rowan in the first round. The Hawks return a pair of key seniors in guard Kit Small and forward Courtney Irby, but look for Geneseo, Fredonia, Cortland and Oneonta to again keep things competitive.
NEAC
SUNYIT returns four starters, including all-NEAC standout Quayshaun Mitchell, and is the preseason favorite on the men's side. Lancaster Bible was dominant last season, winning its first 27 games until falling short in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but the Chargers lost many of their key contributors.
On the women's side, SUNYIT is favored to repeat as conference champions. Last season, the Wildcats finished 23-6 and advanced to the NCAA tournament, losing in the first round to Montclair State. Senior guard Stevie Ray and junior guard Paige Gallo both return for SUNYIT.
Others
UAA teams NYU and Rochester, as well as independents Alfred State, New Rochelle and SUNY Canton, are also included in the the East region. Of this group, Rochester's men's and women's teams are the most notable. The Rochester women finished 23-6 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last season, and are ranked No. 7 in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25 poll.
Contact me
Have a story idea? A fun stat? Just want to talk some hoops? I'm always happy to hear from a fellow D-III fan. I can be reached via email at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com, or on Twitter at @Andrew_Lovell.