Sophie Bussard has maintained as IFN’s Player of the Year for the second year in a row. (File photo by Mike Deak)

AKRON – It has been said before about Sophie Bussard, and about past athletes in the Tippecanoe Valley basketball program. You will be hard pressed to find a nicer, more team-oriented player than (Bussard). But what has also been attached to this recent string of successful seasons at Valley are the hard-nosed, gritty, super-talented players wearing the green and gold.

That is Sophie Bussard to a tee.

For the second year in a row, Bussard tops our Ink Free News list as Player of the Year for girls basketball. There really wasn’t much doubt as Bussard has become one of the top players in the state, and has kept Valley playing at a high level when some felt the team might take a step back after losing yet another crop of players from the magical state run in 2015.

Bussard was an eighth grader watching that team that lost to Jackie Young’s Princeton squad in the Class 3-A State Finals. Coming in and playing with most of that squad the next season, Bussard started to show signs of leading the new wave. After two years of what head coach Chris Kindig referred to two years ago as a ‘sort of apprenticeship’, Bussard became the leader as a junior. As the lone senior with any significant experience, Bussard’s responsibilities shifted from a volleyball run in the fall with nine seniors to a basketball roster with just her and seldom-used Kennedie Brooks. That seemed to just make Bussard even better.

“I really looked up to those girls as a little freshman then as a sophomore,” Bussard said, referring to the trio of Anne Secrest, Hannah Dunn and Meredith Brouyette. “They all led by example and gave me pieces to take and apply, and that’s when I felt like I was learning what it was really like to be a leader. I love stepping into the leadership role. I want to be viewed as a leader, and I want to do what I can to help the legacy of this team. My legacy being a leader is important to me.”

Bussard took over this season as the targeted one, teams scheming and gameplanning solely to either stop Bussard flat out or to let her ‘get hers’ – as NorthWood head coach Adam Yoder bluntly stated in their win at Akron – but to stop the other four Vikings from beating them. With all that said, Bussard still hung these fantastic per game stats of 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.0 assists. Bussard hit a personal milestone this season in becoming the sixth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, sitting at 1,203 heading into the sectional this weekend. All that stand in front of her are current Valley assistant coach Rebekah Parker (1,420) and former teammate Secrest (1,580).

But those who have been around Bussard knows it’s not about numbers. She openly stated in the fall she wanted her volleyball records broken someday, and echoes those sentiments about any accomplishments she leaves in Akron as she packs up for Southeast Missouri State in the fall, the next basketball stop on her tour.

“Playing for the younger kids is what gets me motivated,” Bussard said. “I never realized the impact that I had, but I noticed after I got to high school, the little kids are watching us and wanting to be like us. I’ve had kids come up to me after games telling me they want to be just like me. I have a niece and she watches my games and wants to be like me when she grows up. I tell her that I want her to be better than me. I want kids to be better than me.

“I want them to break my records. I want to encourage them to be better than me if that’s what they want to do. I feel like playing at Valley and playing on some of these great teams has given myself and my teammates a great platform to set the example for the little kids who are watching us.”

Valley head coach Chris Kindig has certainly enjoyed the ride, guiding the Viking ship from a struggling program when he started in 2010 to one that has been a ranked fixture for a good part of the last five years. He has led eight players into the college ranks, counting Caylie Teel signing a volleyball scholarship to Grace in the middle of Valley’s state run in 2015. His thoughts on Bussard are obvious but genuine, and his willingness to let Bussard do what she does best has been evident for much of the season, and her career.

“I really believe that the more time a player puts into making themselves better in the off-season, the more confident they will be in crucial situations in a game because they know they deserve and have earned the right to be successful,” Kindig said. “Sophie has been one of the leaders of this program on and off the floor since her sophomore year and has accepted more responsibility each year. That is just who she is. She also has had great role models in our program that have set the bar very high in terms of classroom, community, court presence and class.”

In defining a legacy, there has be a foundation. Look no further than Bussard’s faith, which she not only speaks about and exhibits in her grace and stewardship, but also wears on her shoes during gamedays.

“I rely on my faith a lot,” noted Bussard. “If I’m struggling of feeling lost, I can always lean on God. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without Him. I always pray for myself, for my teammates, players on other teams. His journey, He already knows where I’m headed on my journey and trusts me. He’s the reason for my success and what I’ve been able to be.”