Padden set to bring passion to next level

Matt Unrau

Rheanna Padden of Thompson Falls loves basketball.

It’s her love of basketball that drove her to grow up playing basketball with her sister and neighbor all through the night in her grandparents backyard using flashlights to light up the court.

It’s her love of basketball that made her ride a bike all summer after her Freshman year of high school to try to recover from an ACL surgery. It’s her love of basketball that made her rush back too soon from her injury only to reinjure herself and make her work harder still to come back a second time.

And, it’s her love of basketball that she will carry with her when she leaves this week for University of Montana Western in Dillon to play basketball in college.

Padden’s eyes light up as she remembers when Western’s Coach asked her in March to come play for her. “I was just so excited. I said ‘of course’! I couldn’t stop smiling I was so excited,” says Padden.

It’s no small wonder why Coach Cara Cocchiarella wants her to play at Western this upcoming year. For her senior year she averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game earning all-state honors and helping lead her team to a District Championship.

But, more than statistics Coach Cocchiarella will get Padden’s competitive nature. It’s her hyper competitiveness that first drew Padden to basketball who can let loose her competitive nature either by shutting down a taller, bigger opposing player or by raining down three pointers.

This will to compete was best shown during her aforementioned injuries. Despite Padden’s engaging and cheerful personality her face darkens as she remembers the pain from having to sit on the bench while her team played without her.

“The hardest part was probably not playing and watching everyone else. I learned from it. It taught me to appreciate it(basketball) and work really hard,” says Padden.

The hard work that Padden mentions came in the form of countless hours of riding a bike during the summer to recover from the original ACL injury. “I had to do that until I was sick of it,” says Padden.

The character building that she gained from the rehabilitation was again tested when Padden tragically reinjured herself on her first play of her first game back in her sophomore year as her knee buckled while she was defending a fast break.

“I thought I did it all over again, I was so furious because I had worked so hard for six or seven months with the physical therapist,” recalls Padden.

Although, she had to be helped off the court that night with a bone contusion and a slight MCL tear, Padden worked harder still and found herself coming back at the end of the same season for a chance to play with her sister during her senior year.

It’s not all about individual stats with Padden either as her desire to play with her sister shows, but she relishes the team aspect. “There’s not a spotlight on one person(in basketball), but you can also shine in your own ways,” explains Padden.

This goes hand in hand with one of her greatest moments being when her team won the District Championship for the first time in Thompson Falls history this year.

And, the irony was that Padden wasn’t even on the floor at the time. She had fouled out and was watching from the bench in a mirror image of when she was injured. However, this time the overwhelming feeling she felt was pride in her team seeing them beat Eureka despite a huge size disadvantage.

Her team is also what she looks forward to this next year in Dillon as she will have two new teammates that previously been competition. Mariah Newell and Auna Lawler of Eureka will both be on the team next year, and Padden is excited to play with a post the size and caliber of Newell.

Even though Padden admits a little nervousness is accompanying her jump up to the college ranks she is getting plenty of practice during the summer as for the third year in a row she is undergoing a 10,000 made shot program. To keep up with the large quota Padden has to make 250-300 shots a day three to four times a week.

The program was handed down to her from her Thompson Falls coaches, Jason Reimer and Courtney Burke who she credits for her love of basketball.

“They’re the reason why I got so excited about basketball. They’re so passionate and enthusiastic. They’re big motivators,” says Padden.

Now, in the same way that her coaches showed her their love of basketball, so Padden is ready to show the college ranks her passion.