Plasch shares ‘love of the game’ in Tigers basketball camp debut – Superior Telegram

MAPLE — Tieryn Plasch stood before nearly two-dozen utterly captivated kindergarten through second grade athletes and pointed to a banner hanging in the rafters.

It was July 2, the penultimate day of her inaugural summer basketball camp. Throughout the week, Plasch, a 2023 graduate and the program’s all-time leading scorer, taught fundamentals and instilled a love for the game, but she reminded the kids of something else as well.

“I point up at the conference championships banner all the time,” Plasch said. “We only have a couple of those, and our goal is to add to that.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Perhaps no player in program history is more qualified to teach the next generation than Plasch. During her tenure, she guided the Tigers to a pair of regional championships and the program’s second Heart O’North Conference title to that point.

She forged an impeccable legacy that included being a three-time all-state honorable mention and one of the most effective leaders in Northwestern history, according to Tigers head coach Paul Eberhardt.

“I’ve coached for over 20 years and she’s easily the best leader I’ve ever had,” Eberhardt said. “When that person comes back to your school and wants to give back and be part of what’s going on, we’re super lucky, because that’s not something everyone wants.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Plasch, who just finished her sophomore year with Division II Bemidji State University, helped coach skill-specific drills and workouts during Tigers camps in previous years but organizing her own wasn’t something she initially considered.

That changed when Plasch spoke with fellow Beavers teammates who were raving about the opportunity to go back to their respective hometowns and work with young athletes. It was a lightbulb moment, one that inspired Plasch’s inaugural girls and boys summer camp.

“I talked to Eberhardt and was like, ‘Is there any way I can do a camp for you guys?’ Plasch recalled. “He said yes, and I’m just happy because Northwestern doesn’t have many camps for girls. I’m really happy to be back here doing this for these kids.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Plasch’s camp ran from June 30 to July 3 and served roughly 50 kids across three daily sessions that each lasted 90 minutes and included players of various ages and skills.

Part of that meant learning to coach different ages on the fly, whether that was more advanced sixth through eighth graders in the morning, kindergarteners through second graders learning the basics in the afternoon or the third through fifth graders in the middle session.

“I love being here,” Plasch said. “When I was younger, I looked up to the older girls so much and the ones who played in college like Katie Lundeen. I really looked up to them, so to be able to come back and have these little kids look up to me, it’s special.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Parents smiled in joy as they watched Plasch move little arms and feet into proper position, whether it was pivoting in triple threat or playing fundamentally sound defense.

It was an opportunity for their children to learn from one of the most distinguished players in program history. For Jason Klobucher, father of three children, one in each session, that’s all he could have asked for.

“It’s great for my kids,” Klobucher said. “They get to learn skills and play with their friends. It’s a great opportunity. This is their first real experience with somebody other than their parents telling them to dribble while playing basketball in the backyard.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Klobucher’s daughter, Macyn, 7, will be a second grader this fall. She loved the afternoon session with Plasch so much that she constantly asked her father when they could go back and play again.

“They’re having fun and always ask about coming back,” Klobucher said. “All three of them get up in the morning and want to come here and play, and that’s about all you can ask. It gives them something to do in the summer instead of just sitting at home.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Eberhardt has known Plasch for a long time, so he had full faith and confidence that she would take care of the next generation of Tigers. He said one of the most important parts of youth sports is teaching a love of the game, and Plasch does that perfectly.

“I can see her growth and maturity after playing a couple of years of college basketball,” Eberhardt said. “But she’s still the little girl who fell in love with the game, and now she wants all the other little girls to fall in love with it just like she did. That’s the best part, her love of the game.”

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

Plasch is the face of the camp, but she didn’t do it entirely alone. Her older sister, Tayva, and mother, Kryssi, were instrumental in making it run smoothly. They were also joined by one of Plasch’s Bemidji State teammates along with former Tiger Gabby Risley.

Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group

This fall, Plasch will return to Bemidji State for her junior campaign but hopes to be back in Maple next summer to continue coaching the future players of Northwestern’s basketball program.

“I just love coaching the kids,” Plasch said. “It’s been really fun, and I’m really happy with all the people who came. We’re hoping to make it a yearly thing, because I really love being here.”

Reagan Hoverman joined the Duluth News Tribune as a sports reporter in July 2023 after spending the better part of two years covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports at the Pierce County Journal in Ellsworth, Wis. Before that, he was a news and sports reporter at the Inter-County Leader in Frederic, Wis.