Fitting right in
CRANBERRY TWP — The surroundings are new to Kylee Lewandowski.
So are the teammates, coaching staff and uniform.
The basketball skill-set and academic performance? Nothing different there.
Goals remain the same as well for the former Butler, now 6-foot-0 Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic sophomore forward.
“She had a 4.0 grade point at Butler and she has a 4.0 grade point here,” said Joe Lewandowski, her father and former coach. “Life is all about adapting and making adjustments.
“Kylee is doing very well.”
Indeed, she is. Through 10 games this season, Lewandowski is the only Trojanette averaging in double figures. She is netting 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
And she's stepped into the starting lineup for a team that is 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 4A.
“My goal is to play Division I basketball some day and I know I have to develop my game to get there,” Kylee said. “I have a lot of work to do in that regard.
“I need to improve my play in the post offensively and my ball handling ability. Those are two things right off the bat.”
She started as a freshman at Butler last season, averaging nine points and 3.8 rebounds per game while draining 46 3-pointers. Kylee's father coached the Golden Tornado.
After Butler decided to make a head coaching change in the off-season, Kylee was enrolled at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic.
“It was a little hard at first, not playing with those girls anymore,” Kylee said of leaving Butler. “We're still friends. I root for them. I want to see them do well and us do well here.
“The girls on this team have been great. From the first day of open gym, I've felt welcome.”
Lewandowski pointed out that Kylee “played basketball at Butler from kindergarten through ninth grade and will always have friends there.
“She's not losing her old friends. She's gaining some new friends.”
CWNC coach Molly Rottmann believes Kylee's personality has a lot to do with that.
“She's a very likeable girl,” Rottmann said. “Kylee is easy to get along with. Really, she fit right in here right away.
“Here you have a talented player coming in, the other girls knowing she may take someone's starting spot away, certainly get a lot of minutes, and there's never been any animosity. Kylee has helped to make us better.”
Lewandowski's arrival at CWNC is well-timed as 2,443-point scorer Sam, Breen graduated last year and is now at Penn State.
“We weren't going to replace Sam with just one player,” Rottmann said. “Our scoring is much more balanced this year and Kylee has been part of that.
“She gives us an outside shooter and a versatile defender. She has a long body and has enough quickness that we can put her on guards up high or have her defend the post down low.”
Lewandowski's defensive presence has clearly been felt. Through 10 games, the Trojanettes have not allowed more than 36 points to an opponent. They are averaging 58 points per game themselves.
Rottmann said Lewandowski's scoring production will likely increase as she plays more games with her new teammates.
“Kylee has such a smooth stroke and she knows the game,” the coach said. “You can tell she's been around it for a long time and her father has done a great job bringing her along.
“He (Joe Lewandowski) has stayed in the background here. I may have talked to him once or twice since Kylee got here. He lets us coach her and I appreciate that.”
Lewandowski has no problem with that.
“Molly and her dad are tremendous coaches. they do great work here,” Lewandowski said. “Kylee was going to be a Division I prospect whether she stayed at Butler or came here.
“But having a coach like Molly Rottmann — who has worked with numerous Division I recruits — while playing for the second-ranked team in the state certainly doesn't hurt.
“This has turned out to be a blessing for me. Not coaching my daughter anymore, I can sit in the stands, be a dad and enjoy her high school career from that perspective,” he added.
Kylee only hopes he has plenty of games to watch.
“I want to be part of a WPIAL championship here, even win a state title,” she said. “The mood on our team is very positive. We have great chemistry and that can go a long way.”
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