Peplowski's love for hoops came without father's push

WILLIAMSTON - Allison Peplowski can thank her mother, Tara Peplowski, for her somewhat recent passion for basketball. She can thank her father, Mike, a former Michigan State and NBA big man, for the intangibles.

Peplowski, now a 6-foot-2 junior at Williamston High School, didn't touch a basketball until her final year of elementary school. She had no interest. Zero. She tried out for her school's fifth grade team just to make her mother happy. Tara Peplowski had encouraged her to try basketball to see if it was something that would catch her interest.

"I told her, 'I'll tryout, but put me on the B team,' Peplowski said. "I made the A team, but I was so bad. The first time I played I got hit in the face. I couldn't catch a ball. I was like, 'Mom, I'm really good at that 'layout' shot.'

"I was one of those kids that tried everything. Growing up, obviously, I'd have teachers ask me if I was related to Mike Peplowski. They'd be like, 'Oh, I watched him play.' My dad, my parents, never really pushed basketball on me."

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Peplowski, who said she started taking basketball serious around seventh grade, has grown to love the game. She's been on varsity since her freshman season. Her dad gives her advice here and there, but it doesn't dominate their relationship. He plays the background. This is her time to shine.

"My dad more than anything wants to be a spectator," she said of her father, who played at MSU from 1989 to 1993. "He says, 'I've done all of this before. I like to watch you play.'

"When he does say something, I know to listen because he never says anything. I'll ask for advice or coaching and stuff, but if I don't ask, he'll let me be."

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Peplowski is looking to take a leap in her junior season for the Hornets, who were ranked No. 6 last season before their year was ended by No. 3-ranked Grand Rapids South Christian in the Class B regional semifinals. The forward is one of only a handful of varsity players with multiple-years experience on the roster.

She's ready to make her presence felt on and off the court.

"I'm just trying to do what I can to help us win and have a successful season," Peplowski said. "I do need to step up, especially because I've been on varsity for three years. Since Renee (Sturm) and Grace Kraft graduated, we've kind of lost a bit of the leadership role. ...Coach (Pete Cool) has told me I need to step up in leadership, and that's what I've been trying to do."

Williamston is 2-0 to start the season. The Hornets picked up a season-opening win over Holt, a game in which Peplowski scored 14 points, and defeated Marshall, the reigning Class B state champions, 37-31, Friday night. The junior scored five points, second highest for the squad that night.

Peplowski, who turned 16 last month, said she's looking to become a more consistent player as a junior. Shooting guard Maddie Watters, who had a team-high 21 points on Friday, believes Williamston is a different team when the forward is engaged on both ends of the floor.

"If she's in foul trouble and out of the game, we struggle," Watters, a junior, said. "She gets a lot of rebounds, putbacks, and even if she misses it she'll get it back."

Cool and assistant coach Scott Nemeth have tweaked their offense this season to cater to the growth of Peplowski and the addition of 6-foot-2 forward Paige Basore. For the past couple of seasons, with the likes of Sturm, who now plays at Ferris State, and Watters, the Hornets have been a guard-centric team.

"Her stepping up takes us to the next level, as well as the development of a couple of other kids. It'll make us more balanced," Nemeth said. "Our goal in changing our offensive scheme this year is to get more kids touching the ball on every offensive possession."

And he hopes, deeper into the post-season.

"If we can get her to make that 10-12 foot jumper to add to her putbacks, layups and rebounds, that takes us to a different dimension."

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.