Tom Usher: Phillips among Elida elite

Jennifer (Phillips) Brenning was asked to compile a list of her statistics and honors for her induction into the Elida Hall of Fame.

The fact she couldn’t recall any of them says plenty about the player Phillips Brenning was.

The 6-foot-2 Phillips Brenning was a leader by example. She was quick, athletic and possessed a soft shot in helping Elida to the 1997 Division II girls basketball state title.

She wasn’t comfortable with the spotlight, always deflecting attention to all her teammates.

This past weekend Phillips Brenning was inducted with coach Jim Dally and Herb Strayer into the Elida Hall of Fame. She had earlier been inducted into the Xavier University Hall of Fame in 2006.

“I’m very grateful and honored,” Phillips Brenning said of her induction. “Plenty of people came before me and I’m definitely very honored they thought of me.

“In that it’s pretty new, it was a bit surprising to get that phone call. To be one of the first handful to go in, I’m very honored and it was really exciting for me and my family.”

Shortly after she was notified, she was asked to send Elida a list of all her honors and statistics.

“I had a hard time coming up with a list of awards and it’s not like I keep my statistics around here anywhere,” she said. “What I could do is list what I remember and that’s what we stood for, our program being classy and making good decisions.”

For the record, Phillips Brenning was the 1997 Western Buckeye League player of the year, the district player of the year and first team all-state. She was on the state runner-up team in 1995 before winning in all in 1997.

Phillips Brenning’s 1997 point guard, Alicia Newbury, gave Phillips her introduction speech at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Her former Elida coach Vicki Mauk passed away in 2000 at the age of 42.

“Her (Mauk’s) mom, Sue, was there and (former assistant) coach Skinner was there,” Brenning said. “It brought back a lot of memories. I wish she (Mauk) could have been there. I know she would have been proud. She was one of the classiest people I’ve ever met. To this day I remember things she said. She instilled a certain core of values and beliefs in all of us.”

As a senior, Phillips Brenning was the focal point of an offense that went on to finish 26-1. Elida knocked off Columbus Bishop Hartley 62-59 in the state semifinals. The Bulldogs then steamrolled Vincent Warren 70-33 in the 1997 state championship game.

In the two state tournament games, Phillips Brenning averaged 24 points and 13 rebounds and was the named the tourney’s MVP.

“It was a matter of everyone buying into the team concept and the wins kind of came,” she said. “We all bought into the roles we were assigned. I think that’s almost a lost art. ... The whole journey was pretty memorable.”

Phillips Brenning is an Intervention Specialist at Hilliard Bradley High School. She coached girls basketball for five years, but is no longer coaching.

She has a 5-year-old daughter, Jetta and a 3-year-old son, Knox. Her husband, Ty, is the baseball coach at Olentangy Liberty.

That keeps her plenty busy.

And, at this point, she has no plans on coaching her youngsters.

“I think I’d rather sit back and watch,” she said.

For a two-time Hall of Famer and a state champion, she’s done plenty already.