Its not unusual for a basketball player to wear several hats, but St. Francis de Sales junior Tyler Brown-Henderson could start her own millinery.
She has played all five positions this season and has been one of the reasons the Pioneers won their second consecutive regional title. It is the first time St. Francis has won back-to-back regional crowns.
"I don't mind it because you learn every position on the floor," she said. "Each one is different, so you are learning, but I also am doing what it takes to help my team."
The Pioneers face Westmont at 7:30 p.m. today in one semifinal of the Class 2A Chicago Christian Sectional.
Pioneers' coach Terrence Streater called it "a blessing" to have someone who can bring the ball up court, shoot, rebound and play defense.
"That makes it so much easier out there because even though Tyler is a guard right now, and a good one, she knows how to attack the basket and box out for rebounds," Streater said. "It sure makes my job easier."
Brown-Henderson averages 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and said she learned another thing from playing and learning different positions.
"Patience," Brown-Henderson said. "When you learn something new, it takes time for you to get good at it and I just had to let the game come to me. At first, maybe I was trying too hard, but I feel comfortable anywhere on the court."
Despite being 5-foot-6, she said she learned how to rebound.
"Most girls I went against when I played the post were 5-11, 6-foot, so positioning and not giving up were important," Brown-Henderson said. "I had to work really hard to learn all the positions and with playing the post, you can still post up on a bigger girls if you know how and practice it."
The three-year starter is also happy with what the Pioneers accomplished.
"We played a tough schedule against some bigger schools, but it helped us," she said. "We lost a few, but it made us tougher and taught us lessons like we had to keep working to get better.
"We are excited to win two regionals, but we want to keep going."
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