Being the best at anything can come with an inflated ego and extra anxiety to remain on top. The young ladies of Incarnate Word Academy’s varsity basketball team have managed to defeat both ills — as well as every last one of their opponents for 141 games.
The team now holds the national record for the most consecutive wins of a girls high school basketball team.
The Red Knights’ winning streak started five years ago, before any of its current players joined the team. The reputation of Incarnate Word Athletics — under the leadership of Coach Dan Rolfes — was one that attracted senior Neveah Caffey to their basketball program.
“A coach that can lead you to success and lead you to where you want to be in the future,” Caffey said. “Coach Rolfes has been here for 24 or 25 years – [It’s] being able to know that you're going to be set up for success and going to play on a great basketball team.”
Caffey has committed to Indiana University for their women’s basketball team. For junior Addi Owen, she knew that becoming a Red Knight meant playing alongside some of the best players in the nation.
“It's hard, it's really hard. It's a grind, but the difference in your game is drastic. It's helped me so much as a player and as a person,” Owen said. “I enjoy being in the gym with the girls. It's definitely beneficial, but it's scary at first.”
Coach Rolfes invests a lot of time and energy into his athletes, but he doesn’t focus on being undefeated. The goal is simply to continue to work and grow together — and win the state championship.
“I feel super fortunate to be with the girls and have their buy-in. What I really love about the record is its a program-wide record. Not just a Nevaeh record or an Addi record. It's a record for our entire program,” he said. “It takes multiple years worth of players, coaches, administrators, managers and fans. It takes a village, and everybody who's put that Incarnate Word jersey on should feel super proud.”
For more on Incarnate Word Academy’s impressive and record setting winning streak, including what gameday preparation looks like as well as how Neveah and Addi utilizes the skills learned from Coach Rolfes off court, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
