Sidney Wilson and Haley West have been on a similar basketball journey but now take on different roles for the Monmouth girls’ basketball team.

The two juniors have been playing together since elementary school. They once shared a position in the backcourt as young kids. Both are now National Honor Society students and are among the top scholars in their class. Both also have mothers who played for Monmouth Academy. Wilson and West have been working and building for their own basketball opportunity.

And now it is their turn.

With just two seniors, the Mustangs are currently 11-4 and are ranked fifth in Western C. Wilson and West are key components to that success. They lead their Monmouth team in different ways but are critical parts to a young and emerging club.

The Mustangs lost an abundance of talent from last year’s team, including a number of starters and the team’s top scorer. That left a void in the lineup that Wilson and West have helped fill.

Wilson is now the team’s point guard who runs the offense and makes things happen. West is a post presence that plays hard inside and gives the opponents a battle in the paint.

“Sidney is more of the vocal-type leader,” Monmouth coach Scott Wing said. “She’s the one that steps up and says, ‘We’re going to start doing this or that or we should be doing this or that’ in practice.’ Haley is teaching the younger kids by just kicking their butts in practice every night, learning how to play physical. She has to play physical because otherwise, she’s going to get killed against the bigger players.”

Both have stepped up into larger roles on this Monmouth team. It’s been an evolving journey for them.

Wilson swung between JV and varsity as a freshman. She saw some time off the bench last year as a sophomore.

“This year has definitely been a confidence thing,” Wilson said. “As an underclassman, I was very intimidated. This year, it’s definitely been about stepping up and knowing my role.”

West broke her arm just 30 seconds into her freshman season during a preseason game. She’s battled her way back even though the arm still bothers her. Wing says she’s one of the most determined and hard-working players he’s ever coached.

“Last year, when I started playing, I was a little hesitant,” West said. “I didn’t really know what I should do. This year, I’m more confident. I knew I had to step up. I knew I had to start playing more to my ability. That’s what I’ve been doing this year, and it’s been working out.”

Both girls’ have a Monmouth Mustang lineage. Their mothers, both named Rhonda, played for Dennis Grover in high school. Grover is now an assistant with the program.

“It’s pretty cool,” Wilson said. “She gives me a lot of insight about basketball. She’s was my first coach and still tries to coach me.”

Both have heard many a basketball story from their respective moms over the years and have gotten ample advice as well. Rhonda Wilson was once the coach of both girls, a role she still plays at times.

“My mom likes to talk about when she played,” West said. “She played basketball and tries to tell me what to do. That does help me. Sidney’s mom, she was my first coach, and I still hear her in the stands. I listen to what she says because I know she’s telling me the right things to do.”

The two girls were part of 10 kids who played on a travel team in elementary school. The juniors on the current Mustang roster include other players from that team.

“When they were in the third or fourth grade, Haley was always the point guard,” Wing said. “Sidney would play point guard if Haley was out of the game. It’s interesting now that Haley is our No. 5 player and guards the other team’s biggest players. It helps to have that experience she had as a kid and can still handle the ball. That’s a huge advantage.”

Having played together for so long, Wilson and West have a connection on the court. They work well together, even in different roles.

“It’s really awesome,” Wilson said. “We kind of share the same thought. We kind of know what each other’s thinking.”

That is something the entire team shares to some degree. Caroline Bonenfant and Jenna Davies are the only two seniors. The core of the team are the juniors, which also include Mikayla Cameron, Bri Gonzalez and Maddie Stevens.  They have experience as a group and have been evolving as a team for years. They work together to form a tough defensive team. They also support each other offensively. Wilson and freshman Tia Day are two of the team’s top scorers but many of the girls find ways to contribute. 

“I think when you play with the same group of girls for so long, and you know what each other is going to do, we’ve all been best friends for years,” West said. “We’ve always been really close. Not having a lot of new players every year like bigger schools have, we’re a small school and we all click with each other. We know it’s all going to work out with what we do.”

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