This past Monday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Bri Rinehart and Rachel Dincoff to the Dekalb TV studio. We were conducting an interview for the Ben Davis Sportstalk Show.
Both just graduated from Dekalb High School this past June. Now that the calendar will shortly be turning to August, we wanted to have the chance to talk with both of them before they left for college to continue their sports careers.
Bri will be attending St. Francis University in Fort Wayne, while Rachel will be going to IPFW, also in Fort Wayne. Rinehart will be playing basketball, while Dincoff will be continuing her track and field career.
The thing that stood out for me while doing the interview was simply the fact that these two fine young women are such good friends. When scheduling the interview, I just wanted to have them both on the same show, not realizing how tremendously well that they get along.
As is typical with young people I’ve had the chance to do the show with, they were both nervous initially. but as the show went on, they got comfortable, and were laughing and telling some great stories.
Bri and Rachel both played four years of varsity basketball at Dekalb. Rachel also was a four year track participant, that culminated with her winning the state championship in the discus this past Spring.
Both certainly seemed to enjoy their careers at DHS. They told some good stories about their experiences, especially stories about playing for Dekalb girls basketball coach, Nick David.
From watching them play over the years, both Bri & Rachel were treemndous competitors who hated to lose. They worked hard throughout their playing days at Dekalb, and the results speak for themselves.
We talked about senior night this past season, when Bri & Rachel played for the final time on the home hardwood. It was a festive and fun filled evening, with senior player and parent introductions that started the evening, and then the game against Heritage.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the fun stopped. With four minutes to go in the game, Bri went hard to the floor while making a cut out on the left wing, and before she hit the floor, she was writhing in pain. A torn ligament in the knee, high school career over.
That’s all behind her now, as she is well on the way to recovery. She expects to play in the Fall.
The day after we did the interview, Rachel was heading to Baltimore to participate in a National track and field event.
As I told Bri & Rachel, it seemed like they had been around forever at DHS. Now that they have left, it is a void that will not be easily filled. Great luck to both of them, as their careers have been unique and enjoyable. They are forever, Dekalb Barons.