WEST CANAAN — All Tonya Young needs to do for a reminder of her legacy at Mascoma High is look up on the wall of Edward P. Kehoe Gymnasium.
Among the banners hanging there is one that reads “Mascoma High School 2,000 Point Club,” and underneath, “2007 – Tonya Young.”
That’s it. That’s the list.
Young scored 2,112 points for the Royals, more than any male or female player in school history. She led Mascoma to a state title as a freshman in 2004 and a runner-up finish the following year. The 6-foot-2-inch forward went on to play at the University of Vermont, helping the Catamounts reach the NCAA tournament in 2009 and 2010.
Following two years playing professionally in Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg, attending grad school, and working a few teaching and coaching jobs, Young is now back home in West Canaan, having accepted the girls basketball head coaching job at her alma mater in early June.
“I don’t know that it was always a goal. It wasn’t on my radar,” Young said. “I’ve helped coach, but I’ve never done it on my own. But if you don’t try things that are hard, you’re never going to make anything of yourself.”
During Young’s playing days, the Royals were a dominant force on the court under Kehoe, who died in 2014 after 15 years as head coach and became the gym’s namesake three years later. Kehoe coached plenty of stars at Mascoma, but Young was the brightest of the bunch, averaging 27.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game as a junior, then outdoing herself as a senior with 28.4 points and 14.5 boards per game.
Young entered her senior night needing 51 points to reach 2,000, and Kehoe was going to do everything he could to help her get there. She had 22 points at halftime, and with the Royals comfortably ahead, Kehoe told his team to feed Young the ball on every possession.
Even with three or four defenders guarding her constantly, Young achieved the milestone before the third quarter was through.
“At halftime, (Kehoe) was like, ‘Are we doing this, or are we not? Because if we’re doing this, we need to get her the ball at all times,’ ” Young said. “At that point, every time someone got the ball, they were passing to me. It’s kind of miraculous that it still happened.”
Young had her share of great moments in college as well. Vermont played in a holiday tournament at Dartmouth during her junior year, making it a homecoming of sorts.
And Young made the most of it, setting a career high with 25 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc in a win over Dayton.
Later that year, Young helped the Catamounts win their first — and still only — NCAA tournament game in program history, a first-round upset of Wisconsin. She then had seven 20-point games as a senior, including a 29-point performance against Quinnipiac.
She was a standout in Europe as well. Young recalled a week in Portugal when she had spent time in the hospital and was unable to practice, then posted her first overseas triple-double. The next year, in Slovakia, she led her league in scoring and was second in rebounding. But despite her success, Young called it quits on her playing days and returned to the U.S. in 2013.
“I needed a mental break. I needed a physical break. My body was tired,” Young said. “My original plan was to become a pediatric physical therapist, but I wasn’t ready to dive back into grad school.”
So Young decided to pursue a teaching career instead. She is now in her second year teaching first grade at Enfield Village School, but before taking the job at Mascoma, she didn’t have much coaching experience. Young had helped coach her brother Anthony’s AAU team and spent one season as an assistant to Ed Kehoe’s brother, Tim, at Lebanon High.
Still, it was hard for Mascoma athletic director Rodney Brown to pass up the chance to bring a legend home.
“When we went through the interview process, it’s evident her experience really stands out,” Brown said. “Tonya really rose from that interview process. Our interview team had very positive feedback about Tonya.”
The Royals were just 1-13 last season in Walt Hammond’s final year as head coach, so Young has her work cut out for her.
She said she has the players working harder in practice than they’re used to, and Brown said he’s seen a lot of enthusiasm among the roster to play for their new leader.
“It’s all about creating the culture she wants to have, and the early indications are we’re moving in that right direction,” Brown said. “You can definitely tell the kids are excited and ready to provide a competitive program here.”
Young said she feels pressure to restore things to the heights Mascoma reached under her mentor Kehoe. That process will take time, but she hopes it won’t be long before her 2,000-point banner is joined by others commemorating more championships.
“When I was playing, if you’re playing Mascoma, you’re scared,” Young said. “Rightfully, you should have been, because we were that much of a powerhouse. You obviously can’t go from zero to 100 that quickly.
“It will take a change in the culture and climate of the team — what it means to work hard and be a Royal on and off the court.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.