Growing up, learning and practicing the game she loved, Skyler Searfoss realized at an early age that she had the potential to be pretty good at the game of basketball.

Her father John realized that as well. So, when Skyler was still in elementary school, he poured a concrete pad in the basement of the Searfoss family home so that Skyler would have somewhere to practice dribbling year round.

Like the layers of concrete poured in her basement that eventually dried to produce a hard and stable surface, Searfoss has worked tirelessly over the years to add different layers of skills to her game. Even though the high school junior is far from a finished product, the result has been a rock solid skill set, and stellar career for the Jim Thorpe Olympians.

There’s no better evidence of that than what occurred on Jan. 13, when Searfoss scored a game-high 23 points in a win over Blue Mountain, surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career in the process.

“Going into the game against Blue Mountain, I think people were up in the air if I was going to get it in that game or not because I needed 22 points. But my teammates kept feeding me,” said Searfoss. “I was in the zone that night and by halftime I only needed five points, so then I felt pretty confident I could get it done.

“It was just a great feeling to celebrate that moment with my family, teammates and coaches. I couldn’t have accomplished this without them. I would also like to thank my former coach, Rob Kovac, and his family for all that they have done to get me here as well.”

From the onset of her career, Searfoss has made a big impact. In her freshman season, she was named Times News Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year and she was a third team selection on the 4A All-State Team. Searfoss averaged 18.68 points per game, helping lead the Olympians to a 22-0 regular season as well as a Schuylkill League Championship. Searfoss also led the team in assists and steals and was second on the team in rebounds.

In her sophomore season, Searfoss switched from a hybrid shooting guard/point guard position to being solely the point guard. She averaged 15.32 points per game, while dishing out over five assists per game and once again finished second on the team in rebounds. Searfoss was yet again selected to the 4A All-State Third Team after helping Thorpe to a 23-5 record.

Despite her immediate success on the high school level, Searfoss was never satisfied as she continued to add different facets to her game over the past two offseasons.

“In my freshman season, I relied a lot on my driving skills and my ability to finish at the rim,” said Searfoss. “We kind of took the league by surprise, because most of us were so young.

“But then teams catch on to what your strengths are and they try to take that away. So I’ve really worked on my pull up jump shot and my three-point shot, which has expanded my game more.”

Searfoss’ ability to both drive and now shoot from the outside has certainly made her a more dangerous offensive player, but on the defensive end is where she has been arguably even more impressive. Nicknamed “The Bandit,” Searfoss’ prowess to read and react to the ball has created a ton of steals and transition opportunities. During her career, Searfoss has averaged an impressive 3.8 steals per game.

“I don’t like when people pressure me and make me feel uncomfortable when I’m handling the ball, so that is something I want our opponents to feel too,” said Searfoss. “I always try and bring a ton of energy to the defensive end and create steals, so we can get out and run.”

This season, Searfoss has continued to build upon the rock solid foundation she created many years ago, averaging 14.6 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game and 3.5 steals per game. Still playing at the point, she has helped the Olympians get out to a 6-2 start, including a recent two-point victory over last season’s Schuylkill League and District 11 3A champion North Schuylkill.

“There’s not much I can say about Skyler that hasn’t already been said. Simply put, she’s a great kid and on the court she’s just a workhorse,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Nadia Gauronsky. “All the accolades she has received and will receive are because of the hard work she puts in the offseason

“If there are little girls out there who love the game and want to become good basketball players, they need to take a look at Skyler.”