Emily Peabody started playing basketball as a sophomore in high school and went out for the track and field team as a junior, and now she is at Clark College leading the Northwest in scoring in basketball this season after winning NWAC titles in track last year
Paul Valencia
Clark County Today
Some people just have the “It” factor.
Sometimes they don’t even know they have it.
Emily Peabody did not play organized basketball until her sophomore year in high school. Up until then, she was a soccer player.
Nope. She was a basketball player. Just didn’t know it yet.
These days, Peabody is not only the leading scorer for the Clark College Penguins, she is the leading scorer for the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC).
“When I started basketball my sophomore year, I didn’t even know what a layup was,” she said. “That’s how new I was to the sport.”
Her athletic ability alone was good enough that she moved from junior varsity to varsity that first season.
She became a starter her junior year at Rogers High School of Spokane, but she still considered herself more of a soccer player.
Nope. She was a basketball player. Just didn’t know it yet.
It was after her junior year of high school when she had a decision to make. Which sport for college?
“That whole summer, I was in the gym, getting my shots up, just practicing,” she said.
Oh, it turns out, she also tried another sport as a junior in high school when she went out for the track and field team.
Last year, her first at Clark, she won the NWAC championship in the 200 meters, and she was a member of the two winning relay teams for Clark.
“I’m a very goal-oriented person. Once I want something … anything to get it,” Peabody said.
As far as basketball and track and field … “It took me a little bit more to catch up to everybody else.”
Then she surpassed so many.
In high school basketball, she set a league record with a 51-point performance in a game her senior year.
“My shot form was all over the place,” she recalled of her beginnings in basketball. “Somehow, they went in.”
It was her immediate success in track and field at Rogers that caught the attention of the coach at Clark at the time. Vancouver is so far from Spokane, though, that Peabody acknowledged that she was not interested at first.
Oh, but Clark College athletics has a philosophy. Its teams share the talent. At Clark, athletes are encouraged to play multiple sports.
That appealed to Peabody.
Still, being so new to these sports, she was not sure that she was good enough for the college level.
“I worked so hard to try to get my skills up to par to make a college team,” Peabody said of basketball. “Thats mostly what has driven me. My mindset is a big thing, being able to stay locked in, focused.”
Peabody is averaging 21.4 points per game as the Clark basketball season comes to its conclusion. The scoring is potentially a Clark College record, as well. Athletic office officials noted that many of Clark’s records are incomplete. It certainly would be the highest mark in recent history for Clark women’s basketball.
Peabody is unsure where she will continue her college education after this academic year at Clark. She is open to many possibilities, including any opportunity to compete in both sports at a four-year program.
She is also grateful she took the opportunity to come to Clark College.
“It’s a very supportive culture here. I love the area,” Peabody said. “Overall, a good, happy environment. I’ve been pushed to be the best version of myself.”
As far as her athletic journey, she does not necessarily advise to take her route. She acknowledges that most athletes should start the process earlier than she did.
Still, talent is talent, and a strong work ethic can overcome so many obstacles.
“Stay focused in the moment. Trust your work you’ve done in the past. Trust yourself now. Trust your teammates,” Peabody said. “You can get where you want to go, as long as you put the work in.”
Emily Peabody should know. She is currently atop the scoring leaders in basketball and is looking forward to defending Northwest championships in track and field.
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