Barrack Hebrew Academy’s Dayna Felger is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The senior guard and captain is a potent all-around performer for the 13-2 Cougars, averaging 11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg and 3.9 spg (as of Feb. 14). A three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball, softball) at Barrack Hebrew Academy, Felger was a key factor in the Cougars winning the girls basketball league championship two years ago, when she received second team All-Main Line girls basketball honors. Barrack Hebrew girls basketball head coach Sean Rochester said, “Dayna is a fierce competitor and strong leader. On the court, she is a three-level scorer while also leading our team in assists. As we’re an undersized team, she is forced at times to defend post players and continues to play bigger than her size.”
Q: What aspect of your game do you feel you improved the most in the off-season?
A: During the off-season, I feel as though I have improved in my ability to get open off-ball and see the floor to make necessary cuts and the right plays.
Q: How do you see your leadership role (on and off the court) as a captain?
A: I think my biggest role as a captain is in inspiring the rest of my teammates to embrace the same love for the game that I have and the desire for improvement and success. In terms of on the court, I think I do a good job as captain of controlling the pace of the game, and being a strong playmaker.
Q: Your team won the league championship your sophomore year. What is your favorite memory of your sophomore season?
A: My favorite memory from my sophomore year was beating our rivals (Perk) for the first time that season. The excited screams coming from every one of my teammates along with my coach in the locker room, instilled so much pride in us and validated all of our hard work. That win propelled us into the rest of the season and gave us the confidence we needed to beat Perk again in the league championship final.
Q: You had no junior basketball season due to the COVID pandemic. Tell us a little about the challenge that presented to your team, and how you met that challenge.
A: Losing my junior basketball season due to COVID was one of the hardest things that I had to go through with my team. It was devastating to abruptly be hit with the realization that I would never again play with the seniors that I had been playing with for four years up until that point, and we were all so upset that we couldn’t give them the senior season that they deserved. Regardless, we still had practices and got a basketball in our hands when we could, while continuing to build team camaraderie off the court.
Q: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your game? What part of your game are you working on the most currently?
A: I think the strongest aspect of my game is my court vision and play making capabilities. Meanwhile, I am currently working on improving my 3 point shooting to be sure to knock down important shots during close games.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in competitive basketball. Who have been your most important basketball mentors; and what was the most important thing you learned from each of them?
A: I played basketball in out-of-school leagues starting when I was 7; however, I did not begin playing competitive AAU basketball until 9th grade when I decided I wanted to be in an environment where I was constantly being challenged. An important basketball mentor for me has been my older brother Jacob, who would play with me at 11 p.m. on rainy Friday nights, and emphasized the value of practice and hard work to make sure I was the best I could be. Another mentor for me has been my trainer (Coach K) who has enhanced my basketball IQ and instilled in me the confidence in my game and unconditional love for basketball that I possess today.
Q: Who is your favorite basketball player, and why?
A: My favorite basketball player was JJ Redick because of the intensity and passion with which he played. He was not a super-star, but he played with grit and intensity and was always striving to improve himself. He held himself to a high standard and held his teammates accountable, and for that he has inspired me to be the player I am today.
Q: You wear uniform jersey No. 22 for Barrack Hebrew – why did you pick that number?
A: This is a funny story. Before 6th grade, I didn’t care at all what number I wore on my jersey. But then, I played against a girl in an out-of-school league and I thought she was the best basketball player I’d ever seen. Her number was 22 and from that day forward I thought that if I started wearing that number that I would be as good as her one day. I have been wearing the number 22 ever since and have made it my own.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation on the day of a game.
A: I don’t have much of a pre-game preparation on game day except that I like to eat some sort of candy before every game.
Q: Do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Barrack Hebrew other than basketball, soccer and softball?
A: I participate in DECA club and am a Writing Center Tutor.
Q: What is your favorite academic course at Barrack Hebrew? What do you think you’d like to major in at college? Is there a career field that particularly interests you at the present time?
A: My favorite academic course at Barrack has always been English because I love reading and writing. I’m not completely sure what I would like to major in or pursue as a career, but I am currently thinking about Forensic Psychology.
Fun facts – Dayna Felger
Favorite author: Colleen Hoover.
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill.
Favorite movie: The Parent Trap.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Lose Yourself by Eminem.
Favorite pre-game snack: Welch’s fruit snacks.
Family members: parents Mark and Danielle, sister Ava, brother Jacob.
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach.)
