Welcome to the club

By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor

MAMOU – Mamou senior Maddie Fontenot has always been the quiet type in her high school athletic career.
Be it in basketball or softball, no matter the circumstance, she’s never been one to raise her voice or get emotionally involved. Much less even get vocal when the time comes.
Still, her results have spoken for themselves. She’s been an all-parish caliber player in both sports since her sophomore year and hit a major milestone last Friday night when she surpassed 1,000 career points in a 55-51 loss to Kaplan.
Still, nothing took away from the moment when it occurred early in the fourth quarter. The crowd erupted when the bucket dropped.
Fontenot, as she is one to do, didn’t get too high or low in the moment. The crowd did it for her. It was a fitting moment for a stoic player who has always led by example.
“This was never a personal goal, but reaching the milestone feels amazing,” Fontenot said. “It’s been a journey and staying the course season after season has not always been easy. I am fortunate that I have gotten to accomplish something so awesome all while getting to play the game I love.”
Her response to a major milestone is simple, much like her game. Fontenot takes on a lot of responsibility as a ball-handler, but also carries a big load in rebounding, shooting and in the post.
“Maddie as a basketball player is that she has tremendous talent, and she will continue to grow as a basketball player,” Mamou head coach Andrew Dwyer said. “As a leader, she definitely is a lead by example type of leader.”
Still, with the moment in the balance last Friday night neither player nor coach was overly worried about the milestone itself.
Points are cool, sure. Know what’s better? Winning, something that Mamou is aiming to get used to in basketball under Dwyer.
“I knew some of the people in attendance were there to watch me reach it, but for me it was just a basketball game,” she said. “The majority of the crowd came for a game, not just for me.
“I passed the ball when my teammates had an opportunity to put up points for us. If the 1,000 point mark was to be reached, it would be in time. Not at the expense of my teammates' opportunities or the game.”
It’s some of the same teammates she’s been with since her days beginning the game at five-years-old with Evangeline Parish Youth Basketball. With some of those girls by her side and former coaches in attendance, it make Friday’s accomplishment all that much more special.
It was an amazing feeling,” Fontenot said. “I have been playing basketball with some of these girls since I was five-years-old. I’m not sure if she knew how close I was to the milestone or not, but my EPYB coach Mrs. Gwen Slaughter-Miller was there.
“I have looked up to her for so many years, I smiled seeing her there in that moment. My teammates' reactions made the feeling so real.”
With the milestone out of the way, it leaves Mamou basketball with one goal for the remainder of the season.
Making the playoffs is on my list (of things to accomplish),” Fontenot said. “Coach Dwyer has done a really good job of changing the culture and momentum of the game. We have to come together and finish these games, we have too many close endings not in our favor.”
As for how Dwyer sees Fontenot and her legacy?
“As far as her legacy at Mamou, I think that she will be up there with some of the best to play at Mamou High School,” Dwyer said. “Given some of the talent that has come through these doors, that's quite a compliment.”