BOULDER — For most student-athletes in high school, opportunities to be coached by one person for more than two or three years is rare. For a handful of seniors on the Jefferson High School girls basketball squad, they've had that opportunity for the past four years. Jefferson head girls basketball coach Sarah Layng started coaching many of her seniors as the coach for the freshman team. With time, Layng and the current class of seniors moved up in sync, building a bond that can only be described as familial.
“I know what they're thinking, they probably know what I'm thinking. We can be pretty honest with each other, you know? So it's that relationship, the excitement, I love to see them succeed. They're super competitive, which is awesome,” said Layng.
For the players that have been with Layng all four years, the feeling of that familial bond is overwhelmingly comparable.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been coached by her for four years in a row, and I've been playing with the same girls, essentially, for four years in a row. There really is a family dynamic that comes with that,” said senior Abbie Youde.
The relationship doesn't stop after the Panthers leave the lines of the hardwood.
“She does teach here and she has definitely been one of my favorites here. And I just feel like if I ever have any issue that I need to talk to her about, I feel like she's like the one adult that I would go and talk to about if I needed anything, like help with advice or just needed someone to rant to,” said senior Sam Zody.
The Jefferson High girls will continue to ride that familial bond throughout this season. Up next for the Panthers are the Townsend Bulldogs on Saturday.
