Hub For Hoops
CHERRY TWP — Call it Moniteau's basketball hub.
Not the high school gymnasium.
The Pry household.
A full-length basketball court, complete with lights, sits just off David and Maura Pry's driveway in West Sunbury. It's where Warrior senior girls basketball standout Aslyn Pry developed her game.
As have numerous others.
Aslyn is the younger sister of former Moniteau boys basketball player Lake Pry, who is now a volunteer assistant coach for the girls team. Maura Pry, their mother and a former Moniteau girls basketball player, is the assistant coach under Lady Warriors' head coach Dee Arblaster.
“We've always been a basketball family,” Mrs. Pry said. “We've all grown up on the game.”
Summertime is no offseason for this family — nor its friends.
“Everybody comes over here to play basketball, boys and girls” Aslyn said. “We have full five-on-five games on our court three nights a week during the summer. Other groups of five wait to play. The winning team stays on the court.
“It's competitive. It's fun. Thank goodness we have lights because most days, it's too hot to play. We wait until 8 or 9 at night.”
David Pry, with help from his family and members of the Moniteau community, constructed the court. Only the fencing around it was contracted out.
Aslyn's younger sister, Davina, is a freshman on Moniteau's roster. Victoria Pry (junior) and Allie Pry (freshman) are cousins who are on the team as well.
Kyle Pry, a member of the Warriors' boys team, is a second cousin.“We have a great situation there,” Arblaster said of the Pry's court. “Basically, these kids are all getting in extra practice on their own.“The fact they're all friends helps the camaraderie on the team and on the floor.”Aslyn Pry averaged a double-double as a junior for Moniteau last year. She's expanded her game that much more this season.She is averaging 19.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Moniteau was 11-6 through 17 games this season.“The biggest change in her game this season is leadership,” Mrs. Pry said. “We have a lot of younger players on the team and she gets them all involved.”Though she plays a forward position, Aslyn's ball distribution has improved dramatically.“We run a lot of inside-out plays,” Aslyn said. “Teams play a lot of zone against us and when the ball comes into me, things usually open up for outside shooters.“Camryn Fallen is our other inside player. I can help set her up, too, when defenses collapse on me.”
Arblaster said it was important to Aslyn's game “that she learn how to allow her teammates to help make her a better player, not just the other way around.”Such plays can also be practiced at ... where else? The Pry's family court.“We do everything out there,” Aslyn said.When friends aren't on the outside court with the Pry youths, their father often is. David Pry is one of 11 children — nine boys, two girls — and has played a lot of recreational basketball.“We are competitive with each other,” Mrs. Pry said. “We'll have foul-shooting contests out there to determine who has to do the dishes after dinner.”Aslyn's free-throw shooting has picked up as a result. She was shooting under 50 percent from the line early in her high school career.She sinks free throws at a 75 percent clip nowadays.“Believe me ... you don't want to lose those contests,” she said, laughing.Aslyn is receiving Division III collegiate interest and wants to study physical education. Her plans are to become a teacher and coach.“I don't want to leave basketball,” she said.No surprise there.
