Go-To Player Amy Ridings Doesn’T Let Her Small Stature Get In The Way Of Anything

Amy Ridings takes it personally when someone underestimates her basketball ability because of her size.

Or lack thereof.

“When people think that, I want to play harder,” said Shadle Park’s senior point guard, who stands 5-foot-6 and admits to rounding up her weight to 110 pounds. “My family and a lot of people tell me I’m too short to (play) in college, I’m too short to play with the bigger girls. I use that as motivation. I don’t think I’m too short.”

She’s definitely shown that she’s not too short to make an impact in the Greater Spokane League. Through last week, she was the league’s third leading scorer at 15.3 points per game.

Ridings is the top scorer and captain for the Highlanders, who look to finish in one of the league’s top six spots and earn a berth to the District 8 4A Tournament. She’s their go-to player who can penetrate and pass off, or spot up for a 3-pointer.

Ridings has learned to ignore her critics, whose comments range from her size to her pre-game meals. Before games, she often feasts on two McDonald’s cheeseburgers, a large fry and a root beer.

Her teammates can’t believe she can perform afterwards.

But Ridings says it’s her fuel. She eats while watching her freshman sister Sara play for Shadle’s junior varsity.

“They’re like, `Why are you eating that stuff?”’ Ridings said of some of her teammates’ reactions. “A lot of people think it’s bad for me but it doesn’t faze me. I can basically eat anything.”

Not much fazes Ridings, a second-year starter who played significantly as a sophomore.

“She pretty much runs the team,” said Highlanders coach Chad Dezellem. “She understands the game, she understands what’s going on. She sees the change in a defense and is able to adjust to that.”

Ridings craves pressure and close games when the ball is in her hands.

In a Dec. 10 game against University, Ridings stole a pass and scored the winning basket with five seconds left for a 56-54 Shadle win.

“I try to walk out on the floor knowing I’m one of the better players in the league,” the 18-year-old said. “I try to get my teammates to think the same way and walk out with confidence.”

Ridings also played for Shadle’s third-place state volleyball team in the fall and is a sprinter for the track team during the spring. But basketball is No. 1. She’s been playing since fifth grade and hopes to continue at the next level at Washington State, Eastern Washington or Gonzaga next year.

Ridings admits she often surprises opponents who think she can’t play because she’s short and thin.

“I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve,” she said.

Ridings’ senior teammate Rachel Jones said she gets “pumped up” just watching Ridings play. Ridings is always feisty and aggressive, notes Jones.

“When we’re down she gives us inspiration,” Jones said. “She loves this game and puts everything into it.”

Ridings has devoted some of her efforts into a new interest at school this year. She is part of the HOPE class at Shadle, which stands for Helping Overcome Prejudice Everywhere.

The club promotes diversity and the acceptance of all students. Ridings said her involvement has helped open her eyes to disguised slurs she hears at school. She also has come in contact with multicultural students she wouldn’t have known otherwise.

“People in the class want to make a difference,” Ridings said. “We don’t want to see racial violence and we want everyone to be equal.”

Ridings is the perfect example of the kind of athlete Dezellem wants in his program.

“I want good students and kids who are active and care about a lot of different things,” he said. “I’m pretty lucky that way (to have a well-rounded team).”

And he feels lucky to have Ridings, no matter what her size.