Seneca Valley forward has worked way into force
JACKSON TWP — Erin Danik glides up and down the floor.
The 6-foot-2 junior forward for the Seneca Valley girls basketball team is just as dangerous as a shooter now than she is in the paint, scoring or grabbing rebounds.
Danik has worked her way into becoming the new Erin Danik.
Leaner and most definitely meaner.
Danik lost 50 pounds before her sophomore season and has managed to keep it off through hard work and perseverance.
“I had to change my diet,” Danik said. “I had to go to the gym. It was definitely a struggle. I knew it was something I had to do. It wasn't a choice.”
Danik got rid of the junk food. She started eating healthier. She ran — a lot.
“It was hard,” Danik said. “I still struggle with it. I definitely feel a lot better.”
And she has become a potent weapon for the Raiders, averaging 12.6 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game for the Raiders (9-2 overall and 2-1 in Section 3-AAAA).
“(The weight loss) made me able to get up and down the floor a lot quicker,” Danik said. “On defense, you are able to slide with your girl.”
Seneca Valley girls basketball coach Rob Lombardo watched first-hand the transformation of Danik and marveled at her tenacity.
Her drive has remained unchanged, the coach said.
“Erin's work ethic is phenomenal,” Lombardo said. “Erin is usually the first one to get to the gym and the last one to leave. With that comes success. When you work that hard, you deserve that kind of success. She's the poster child for that.”
Danik is one of three girls on the Seneca Valley roster who are 5-11 or taller, along with 6-footer Lexus Lambert and 5-11 Paige Montrose.
That presents some serious problems for Seneca Valley opponents.
“Erin causes a match-up problem,” Lombardo said. “Our whole team is tall and long, like Erin, so we pose match-up problems as a team on both ends of the floor.
“We worked on it all summer,” Lombardo added. “We worked on changing our style to fit our personnel and Erin is one of the girls that has taken advantage of the new style.”
Danik is hopeful this is the year the Raiders.
Seneca Valley hasn't won a playoff game since the 2005-2006 season.
“I think this is the year we can get over that hump,” Danik said.
