Larger than Life: Kendal Batchik is the underrated leader of St. Vincent-St. Mary girls basketball
AKRON, Ohio – On the official St. Vincent-St. Mary girls basketball roster, Kendal Batchik is listed at 5-foot-5 but in reality, she is more like 5-foot-3. Despite her diminutive size, the junior guard has been bigger than life for the Fighting Irish, both figuratively and literally.
On the court, she is the unquestioned leader of one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the state of Ohio. She led STVM with 19 points on Saturday in a 61-44 win over Streetsboro to move to 12-2 on the season, but it’s all the little things she does to help make the STVM offense go.
“Kendal is selfless, Kendal is a quiet storm,” STVM head coach Carley Whitney said. “She does not say a whole lot, but you know she's there with her play. Kendal does so many other things well and she's so efficient and constant.”
Not only can Batchik shoot the ball from deep – she is connecting on nearly 40% of her 3-point attempts this season - but she is fearless in the paint, often working her way towards the basket and scoring against taller players.
“She just has such good finesse around the basket,” Whitney said. “She's not going to throw your body into her. She spins the ball up, she's so aware of where she is. That's her IQ.”
On one particular play in the win over Streetsboro, she missed a floater in the final seconds of the third quarter, but she went and got her own rebound and finished to give STVM a 49-33 lead after three quarters.
“She does things that people (her size) I don't understand how she does,” Whitney said. “(She) gets rebounds, gets loose balls, comes up with the ball. She just has a knack for the ball, and she's so confident in her own pace.”
With the ball in her hands, Batchik just doesn’t make bad decisions. She gets the STVM offense in the right play and does so without going too fast, which eliminates the chance of turnovers.
“I like to just keep our pace and don't speed it up,” Batchik said. “That way we can get the best shot every possession.”
And whether it is her taking the shot or she has to create the offense by moving away from the ball, the junior is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
“I just like the team aspect,” Batchick said. “I'd rather go out and win every game.”
Batchik will shoot the ball when the shot is there, but she is constantly moving on offense if the ball isn’t in her hands, which helps create shot opportunities for not only herself, but for her teammates.
“She picks her spots, and she knows what's a good shot,” Whitney said. “Like she said, I'd rather it be about the team than it be about me. She understands that if she cuts hard, she's probably going to get it back or she's going to create a lane for someone else. That's her IQ at work.”
While her head coach and teammates know exactly what Batchik means to the green and gold, they would like to see her get more recognition.
“Kendal Batchik is the most underrated point guard in the state of Ohio,” Whitney said after a win over Lutheran East on Dec. 23. “She is our motor, and we appreciate Kendal. I think she should get a little bit more appreciation statewide for her consistent effort and her consistent shooting percentage and what she gives the team.”
While she may not be getting much notoriety statewide, she certainly did on a trip to Los Angeles earlier this season when the Fighting Irish went out west to play Fairmont Prep, a 53-34 win for STVM on Dec. 16 at the Chosen 1’s Invitational. As the team was walking around outside the Galen Center, they looked up at the enormous video board and there was their point guard. The players went crazy celebrating the life-sized version of Batchik as the larger-than-life version flashed above them.
“It was an unbelievable experience, it’s just like a dream come true,” Batchik said back in December. “It’s awesome (how they reacted), we all just love to support each other.”
When asked about it again on Saturday, the shy and quiet Batchik hesitated, which made her coach laugh.
“Did you actually like it,” Whitney asked her point guard.
“Yeah, I thought it was a great thing to look at,” Batchik said as Whitney laughed in the background, knowing just how humble and grounded the guard is.
The head coach saw the show of love and respect between teammates and appreciated the way the rest of her players rallied around Batchik in that moment.
“We all know her worth and what she means, and she deserves to be up there,” Whitney said. “To see them rally around her and be like ‘that's my point guard, that's her,’ that's just who these girls are. They love each other.”
The trip to Los Angeles and the bond that was built among the girls has also transformed the way they play on the court.
“It makes it so much easier (to play) because we all just love each other and we have such good chemistry on and off the court,” Batchik said.
Despite her size, the STVM coaching staff knew two years ago just how good Batchik was, even if she was flying under the radar.
“The running joke her freshman year was she isn’t going to be a secret for long,” Whitney said.
One of the reasons Whitney made that joke and is so complimentary of her point guard is that Batchik can do an array of things for the Fighting Irish.
“I think that what is so awesome about her is that she's not just good at one thing,” Whitney said. “It's a blessing to coach her and have her on this team. She really is such a great kid. She doesn't have to say much and she just does her job and works hard. I think that we know how much she means to us but do people really understand what she's really giving the game right now? I don't know.”
The 2007 STVM graduate then doubled down on her comment from earlier this season.
“Kendal Batchik is the most underrated point guard in the state of Ohio, period,” Whitney said.
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
(Feature image: St. Vincent-St. Mary guard Kendal Batchik shoots a 3-pointer against Streetsboro on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo credit: Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports)
