SARAH YORO | staff writer
Growing up with a family submerged in love for basketball, senior guard Sarah Leathers and sophomore guard Rachel Leathers developed an intimate bond with one another and a passion for the game at an early age.
“It’s something my dad and older brother did,” Sarah Leathers said. “It gave us opportunities to hang out and enjoy one another.” The Leathers sisters have three other siblings—an older brother, a younger brother and a younger sister. With a large family comes much responsibility. With that said, it is easy to see how Sarah takes on the ‘older sister’ role with her team as the Cougar’s only fourth-year senior.
“Sometimes it’s hard, but everyone looks up to me and it’s nice having people that love and care about you,” Sarah Leathers said. “They make playing enjoyable, even though they’re younger.” Leading the pack is never an easy task, but in Sarah’s case, her leadership actions speak louder than her words.
“Sarah always leads by example in every aspect,” Rachel Leathers said. “She has that motherly instinct— really caring and keeps everyone accountable.”
Team leadership and experience also enables Sarah to come up big in games, especially during crunch time.
“She’s the all-around teammate and rock of our team,” Rachel Leathers said. “When we need to score, she can score. When we need defense, Sarah can get those steals. She also gets all of those assists.” When it comes to minor details, Sarah does what she can to help her teammates get better. “She is a smart and talented player,” senior guard Kate Shipp said. “She is always giving little details that will help us improve our shot or defense.”
Although Sarah wants to help Rachel reach her playing potential, she knows the appropriate times to offer advice.
“Being older, I try not to tell her everything and just let her develop into her own player. I just want her to play to the best of her ability,” Sarah Leathers said. Rachel also brings a lot to the Cougar table. “Rachel works extremely hard and does the little things. She’s probably the smartest one on our team,” Sarah Leathers said. “Last year we had to memorize quotes and none of us would know it, and she would recite it all by herself. She knows all of the plays; she understands it and can direct other people.”
Rachel’s knowledge and insight of the game enables her to give Sarah a few pointers. “If I’m struggling with something, Rachel notices every little detail and can help me,” Sarah Leathers said. “She’s a smart guard and a good defender. She can defend anyone, post or guard. She’s very versatile.”
While Sarah may appear friendly and easy-going off the court, her ultimate goal is to win a national title. “Even if we don’t win it, I want everyone to play to the best of their ability because this whole year has been amazing,” Sarah Leathers said. “I want everyone to enjoy themselves and not take the season for granted.”
Unlike past teams, this year’s team consists primarily of freshmen and sophomores.
“Since I’ve been here, there have been strong seniors and juniors,” Sarah said. “This year, so many freshmen had to step up and fi ll roles. This helps our team because they want to be here, they just love playing.”
Besides their deep relationship with one another and a close-knit team, the Leathers sisters also have the tremendous love and support of their family.
Living nearby in Cypress, the Leathers family arrives early to each game, eagerly waiting to cheer on the girls. When Sarah and Rachel step on the court, the joy their family exudes is immediately evident.
When the family is not rooting from the stands, Sarah and Rachel’s younger siblings make their way onto the court, shooting the ball during half time.
Attending APU and playing basketball together has been a dream come true for Sarah and Rachel’s parents.
“The chances of that happening are so few. How many families do you know where two sisters can play on the same team together?” father David Leathers said. “We appreciate APU and what it stands for. For them to come to here is an answered prayer for us.”
David and wife Cathy Leathers are proud of their daughters, particularly in the way they both strive to instill godly values.
“We’ve always wanted them to be competitive, but we want them to support each other and have a good, solid competitiveness that goes along with our beliefs,” David Leathers said. “I think they’ve done that really well. Part of it has to do with how we’ve raised them, but I think a big part is the foundation that APU has given them.”
