Jessica Lenderman

Steve Virgen

When Vanguard women’s basketball coach Russ Davis says Jessica

Lenderman does everything for his team, that doesn’t just apply to

what takes place on the court. Case in point, Lenderman, the Lions’

fifth-year senior point guard, tapes ankles and does other athletic

trainer duties for the basketball team.

When Vanguard played at Cal State Dominguez Hills Dec. 14,

Lenderman talked with the Toros’ athletic trainers before the game.

The trainers were shocked and laughed when they found out Lenderman

was also the starting point guard for the Lions. The laughing ceased

when Lenderman took to the court.

After taping up her teammates’ ankles, Lenderman helped lead the

Lions to a 62-60 come-from-behind win over the NCAA Division II

school. Lenderman nailed two key baskets, including a three-pointer

in the Lions’ 17-0 run in the second half, which brought Vanguard

back from a 19-point halftime deficit.

“Jessica is an unbelievable person,” Davis said. “She helps run

our program. She does everything for everybody. As coaches we’re not

supposed to have favorite players, but she’s just awesome. I have the

utmost respect for her. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA all through

college, being a trainer and being a college basketball player.

That’s not easy to do.”

Last year, Lenderman received her undergraduate degree in athletic

training and for the past three seasons she has been an extra

athletic trainer for the squad. Lenderman also provides leadership

and inspiration for the Lions, Davis said.

“In basketball she went from scoring two points a game to 10

points a game,” Davis said. “She’s a total team player. She is

someone who had not played before. She played behind some

All-American players for us. Last year she shared the point guard

with Beth Weidler, then the year before she played behind Becki

Huddle and before that Amy Pena. Now Jessica knows all the plays

inside and out. She tells everyone where to go. She’s like a coach.

She runs the team out there.”

Lenderman has been one of the main reasons the Lions are off to a

hot start in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Vanguard is 3-0 in

the GSAC, which includes a 69-58 upset win over previously unbeaten

Biola, which was ranked No. 12 in the NAIA at the time. Lenderman

scored 10 points and dished out five assists in the Lions’ dramatic

win.

Vanguard was voted ninth out of the 11 teams in the GSAC in the

coaches’ preseason poll.

“That definitely gave us motivation,” Lenderman said of the

preseason rankings. “We know that we are not a ninth-place team in

the conference. We were in shock. We came in third place last year.”

After the Lions defeated Biola Dec. 3, they took care of

Concordia, 65-55, Dec. 7. Lenderman, the Daily Pilot College Athlete

of the Month for December, scored a game-high 16 points and dished

out six assists.

Lenderman has led the Lions to a 4-1 record going into today’s

game with Southern Nazarene at 4 p.m. She is scoring 9.5 points per

game and averaging 3.8 assists in each contest. It’s the assists that

excite her.

“I never thought as my role to be the high scorer or anything like

that,” Lenderman said. “I think I should get us into the offense and

get the ball to the great shooters on the team. I have to do my part

of getting the ball to them. My focus is on whatever I can do to get

my team to be better. I’m trying to make sure to do my job so that

they have their moment to shine.”