Knoch's Boyer enjoying basketball travels this summer
Sometimes Madilyn Boyer has to pause for a minute to remember just where she has been.
That's what happens when you travel as much as the incoming Knoch senior has while playing AAU basketball for SLAAM this summer.
Pittsburgh to North Carolina to Philadelphia to Michigan ... it all becomes a blur.
Boyer is in Louisville, Ky., this weekend after playing in, well, she has to think about it for a minute.
“We were in Indiana for Hoosier Heat,” Boyer says. “I can't remember exactly where.”
Then in comes to her.
Indianapolis.
What Boyer is absolutely sure of is her goals for this summer.
Get better.
Boyer is already pretty good. The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and two steals per game for the Knights, who reached the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in school history and claimed their first section title since 1972.
Boyer is as versatile as they come.
“One of the underlying things about her is she sees the floor so well,” said Knoch girls basketball coach Chris Andreassi. “She has great vision and is a great interior passer as well. And she's very athletic.”
Boyer, though, isn't one to rest on her success and abilities.
Already a potent shooter with the ability to slash to the hoop and handle the ball like a point guard, Boyer is focusing on her inside game this summer.
“I've always been a guard, and I've never played down low in the post,” Boyer said. “I'm trying to get more comfortable playing as a big.”
Anything to round out her game.
One of Boyer's big assets is her athleticism.
When she was younger, she also played soccer and softball, but eventually gave those sports up to focus on basketball.
Boyer was also whisker away from qualifying for the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick nationals in 2014 when she was 9.
Boyer, the Pennsylvania champion, competed at Heinz Field and fell 1 foot, 9 inches short of advancing to Denver and the national competition that year.
She was disappointed then. Now, she sees that experience as a blessing.
“It was definitely one of the highlights of my childhood,” Boyer said. “I had so much fun at Heinz Field. Sadly, I was one place away from going to Denver, but I still had a blast.”
Boyer also is an avid snowboarder and also dabbles in golf. She works at Saxon Golf Course, which sits right across the street from her Clinton Township home, during the summer.
“I golf for fun sometimes since I work at a golf course,” Boyer said. “I might join the golf team this year.”
Make no mistake, though, basketball is her game. She's been playing that sport since a young age.
Boyer has already received lots of interest from colleges and is trying to narrow down her search.
“I'm still trying to figure out what I want to major in,” Boyer said. “I'm trying to pick a school that has what I want and then also has options I like if I want to eventually switch.”
Boyer is also using her AAU summer to get seen by college coaches.
That can sometimes be intimidating, however.
“It's so much exposure,” Boyer said. “There are coaches lining the sidelines. I try to block it out and just go out and play.”