South Jersey Magazine - Gloucester County / Newsstand

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SJM_WinterAthletes_1223FINAL_Reg4 . qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 23 5 : 20 PM Page 5 MaxPortnoy Eastern basketball SJM : Did you play baseball like your brother ? MP : I did for a little while but eventually I got good A 6 - foot - 4 senior guard , Portnoy does a at this and I stopped playing baseball . I was pretty little bit of everything for Eastern and is good at track too but I messed up my knee in sev - coming off a junior season in which he enth grade and called it quits at that . I still have averaged 14 . 9 points , 5.9 rebounds and love for baseball and I’ve always loved football , but 3.5 assists . He helped the Vikings reach basketball is for me . the sectional semifinals and is gearing up for another successful year before SJM : What are the rivalry games you get most moving on to a college basketball excited to play ? career . MP : Definitely Lenape , and probably [ Cherry Hill ] East also . My sophomore year , we lost to East in the South Jersey Magazine : How do you feel playoffs . They were the one seed and we were the about the way the team looks heading into eight seed , and we lost by one . The aftermath of the season ? that was that we had a bunch of seniors leave , and Max Portnoy : I’m pretty optimistic . We have a lot then all the upcoming seniors [ for the following of returners : me , Damien Edwards , Kaedon Harper , year ] left , so I realized that loss started the exodus Sam Winsett . I think we have a good squad and I’m of a lot of players . So there’s a little extra every time very hopeful for a great year . we play East , thinking of all the sadness that it brought us . SJM : Did the experience of last year’s playoff run and coming so close to a sectional final SJM : What’s it like playing for coach Kevin motivate you in the offseason ? Crawford ? Is he tough on you ? MP : I think it did at times , when I needed it , but at MP : He’s very tough on me . At times I like it , at this point I just want to have the best senior season times it’s a little excessive , but at the end of the day possible . I’m not really worried about what hap - I see where he’s coming from . He’s trying to make pened in the past . I’m going to take it game by me the best version of myself . game and have fun , because it’s the last time I’m going to play high school basketball . SJM : Do you watch a lot of college basketball and the NBA ? SJM : The thing that stands out about your MP : Yes . I’m very into the minute details . Our assis - game is how many different ways you con - tant coach , Jason Landis , the way that he thinks tribute . Is it important to you to have that about basketball is very similar to me . Last year , versatility ? we would watch film and he would break it MP : Yeah . I think it helped that I worked on my down like it was chess , and I like it very com - skills a lot when I was younger . I was average plicated like that . I try to look for little height , so when I grew it gave me the opportunity things , like I noticed the other day that the to do a little bit of everything . I think it’s good to in - Sixers kept running flex for Tobias [ Har - volve your teammates : You don’t want people mad ris ] . I like seeing things like that , or just at you if you’re being selfish and taking all the seeing actions that team like to run . shots . I like to share the wealth , and if I’m playing point guard I have a lot of weapons . Damien , in my SJM : What else do you do for fun ? opinion , is the best shooter in the area , so that’s a MP : I spend time with my friends gift that I have . and we watch a lot of sports , and I like hanging out with my girl - SJM : Do you know what you’re doing next friend . The normal kid things . I year ? take a couple of music production MP : Not yet , but I definitely [ want to play ] . classes , and I like researching things about history . SJM : How is the process going of trying to find the right college ? SJM : Who is the funniest MP : I’ve liked going to games and trying to pick out guy on the team who can things I like and dislike about a coach or about a lighten the mood during a program or the team’s system . I find that valuable , tough practice ? because when I’m playing college basketball I have MP : Probably Sam Winsett . to put myself in the best situation . Sam and Damien are always joking around on the side - SJM : Do you know what you want to study in line . Sometimes I get a little school ? hard on myself , and it MP : Probably communications . I’m very interested calms me down just hear - in sports media . ing them . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 20 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 30 |

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SJM_WinterAthletes_1223FINAL_Reg4 . qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 23 5 : 20 PM Page 6 plays soccer and volleyball . We have a couple of classes to - gether , which is fun because we can work on assignments Hannah Byrd - Leitner together if we need to . Moorestown track SJM : Do you have any particular goals for this year ? SJM : How do you get ready for a big meet ? Still just a junior , Byrd - Leitner has already HBL : I’m definitely looking to get some PRs as I’m looking Any certain rituals ? at colleges , because I hope to go Division I . HBL : Nothing too serious . Meets are very mental , established herself as one of the top pole so I focus on breathing and not taking things too fast . vaulters in the state . Last year during indoor SJM : What’s the tallest height you’ve ever cleared ? You can’t get ahead of yourself , because then you’ll season , she placed fifth at sectionals , states HBL : My PR is [ 12 - 0 , set this indoor season ] . I’m hoping to have confidence issues . and the Meet of Champions ( MOC ) , and last get . . . maybe 12 - 6 in outdoor . spring she cleared 11 feet , 6 inches at the outdoor MOC to take ninth . She has set high SJM : What are the main differences between indoor goals for herself as an upperclassman . and outdoor season for a pole vaulter ? HBL : Well , we practice outside for both , so it’s very cold South Jersey Magazine : The pole vault is certainly and windy during the winter and it’s definitely more diffi - not an event that is easy to pick up . How did you get cult to train . So I think I like outdoor better , but both sea - started ? sons are great . The indoor meets are very different because Hannah Byrd - Leitner : It definitely has a lot to do with there are no wind conditions , it’s not raining and the sun’s gymnastics — the body awareness and the strength . It not out , so it’s more stable . kind of transfers over to the same muscles you use in pole vault , so it’s very common for a gymnast to also become a SJM : What do you like about going to school at pole vaulter . Moorestown ? HBL : The community is great and I love all of my team - SJM : So you grew up doing gymnastics and still do mates . I used to live in Collingswood and I moved to that now ? Moorestown in fourth grade . It was a pretty easy change . HBL : Yes . I actually didn’t start gymnastics at a young age compared to other people . I was maybe 9 years old when I SJM : What do you do for fun outside sports ? started . HBL : I like to hang out with family and friends . I have three brothers so it’s definitely different compared to other SJM : Did those gymnastic skills help you master the families . They’re older but I do have a twin as well . pole vault pretty quickly ? HBL : It was definitely a lot easier to learn , but the skills SJM : Do you and your twin brother get along ? were still difficult to do in the first place . It takes bravery . I HBL : We’re pretty close , but when we were younger we was nervous at first , but it’s one of my favorite things to do had arguments all the time . His name is Charlie and he now , so I’m glad I started . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 20 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 31

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