Basketball is Not a One Woman Show for Senior Madison Wynbeek
“When Madison is out on the court her mindset is never a one woman show” was a comment made by former teammate, Hanna Faber, and a sentiment many would agree with. Not every school that gets to brag about one of its players being only one of six girls in Passaic County history to have reached the 2,000 points mark in their basketball careers. But they haven’t had the talent of Senior Madison Wynbeek on their roster. Besides leaving her impressive mark in county history, Madison has etched in stone her place as Eastern Christian’s number two all time leading scorer with 2,048 points and more rebounds and blocked shots than anyone in years. While those statistics are certainly worthy of applause and recognition, what many find more admirable is Madison’s attitude about it all.
Besides being claimed as NorthJersey.com’s Female Athlete of the Week or the Record Sports Female Athlete of the Week, Madison exemplifies Eastern Christian’s six athletic pillars. Having watched Madison play through middle school and now to her senior year, the one pillar that stands out the most in my mind is based on Philippians 2:4 which reminds us that EC athletes “Compete as One” because we are not looking out for ourselves but for the interest of the entire team. Being present at both her 1,000 and 2,000 point milestones was proof to me that this wasn’t Madison making this about herself; her teammates, her fans, and former coach Barry Veenstra say she’s one of the best basketball products of Eastern Christian. In fact, former teammates Hanna Faber and Greta Botbyl commented there was no doubt Madison knows how to play the game well but went out of her way to remind her teammates to just play their best game while also complimenting each of them on their hard work. Greta pointed out that in the games approaching her 1,000th point at Pompton Lakes, Madison said “just play our game and when the points come, they’ll come.”
What does the future hold for this star-studded athlete? Maybe she’ll be a member of the Calvin Knights or the Gordon Fighting Scots and continue to impress her coaches and teammates with her God-given talent and humble heart. We are thankful for her part in Eastern Christian athletic history and wish her the best no matter where God leads her and can be certain she’ll continue to put the team’s performance before her own individual accomplishments.
