Homewood-Flossmoor coach Bob St. Leger is never short on superlatives when talking about junior outside hitter LaDonna Trantham.
But junior outside hitter Kayla Birmingham, her counterpart at St. Laurence, took it to another level after Trantham led the H-F to Barb Walaszek Invitational title at Andrew.
“Oh, she’s Michael Jordan, literal Michael Jordan,” Birmingham said, smiling. “She is on another team for the same club I play for, and she is such an amazing player.
“She is so athletic. She jumps so high and is such a smart player. I mean, there are a lot of players who can jump high and they just swing. But she knows where to put the ball, and that is what makes her so great.”
Trantham was a standout Saturday for H-F in a 25-22, 25-21 victory over St. Laurence in the championship match. Aside from her regular six-rotation contributions, she had seven kills and three blocks.
For the tournament, Trantham tallied a team-high 53 kills, six blocks, 25 digs and four aces. She’s on a path this season to surpass what she did as a sophomore. And as a sophomore, she pretty much did it all.
Somehow, St. Leger has her doing more.
“She’s playing outside and passing on every rotation,” St. Leger said. “She’s one of our key players on defense. We’re using her on offense out of the back row.
“It’s almost to the point where we now talk about how we have to have others step up. It can’t just be Donna, Donna, Donna, Donna, all the time. Not if we want to be really good.”
Trantham, meanwhile, feels the weight on her shoulders is getting lighter.
“Honestly, there isn’t any burden,” Trantham said. “I feel like we’re still growing together as a team and learning to trust each other. It feels more like a responsibility.
“We all have responsibilities on the team. And we’re living up to them.”
Indeed, several put up big numbers for H-F (9-2) in the five-match journey to the top.
Sophomore middle Kymora Scott totaled 23 kills. Junior outside Frances Smith added 19, along with 23 digs. Sophomore middle Ihuoma Ozoh had nine kills and 13 blocks.
Junior setter Skylar Skinner notched 101 assists and eight aces. Sophomore libero Alayna Frangella contributed 29 digs and six aces.
That’s a lot of teamwork. And it’s a result of what St. Leger essentially called the “LaDonna Effect.”
“LaDonna is one of the first during timeouts to say things like, ‘Hey, we have to get the ball to our middles,'” St. Leger said. “She recognizes the importance of having other people involved in the offense.
“She knows if it always has to be her, it’s just too much for any kid to handle. LaDonna is always talking to her teammates. She’s just a great leader, a great kid, super competitive and an unbelievable player.”
It’s an opinion that Smith was happy to echo.
“Oh yes, she’s always there for us,” Smith said. “Every time we stepped on the court before a match this season, she has been the one leading, giving us the encouragement we need.
“Half the time, I’m sitting there looking to LaDonna to get tips. She’s always telling me, ‘This is why this isn’t working.’ But she never says it in a critical way. It’s always like, ‘You can do so much better. Let me show you how.’ I take note of that, and honestly, it has made me so much better of a player.”
Smith is appreciative for one other thing.
“When she swings, I’m grateful every single time that I’m standing next to her,” Smith said, breaking into laughter. “I’m glad I’m not across from her.”
