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They both scored over 2,000 points in high school and were five-year starters on their teams that won regional championships. They were also both named Miss Basketball their senior seasons and then even played together in college before each transferred to another school.
However, former stars Segyan Robins of Mercer County and Lindsey Duvall of Bullitt East have been close friends for years and were together in Harrodsburg Thursday hosting “Champ Camp” for girls in grades 4-8.
They previously held camps at Bullitt East and South Laurel where Chris Souder, Robins’ coach at Mercer County when the Titans won two state titles, is now the head coach.
“We wanted to do a camp for our hometown schools because we both had such great experiences and love our hometowns,” said Duvall, who played at Louisville and finished her career at Northern Kentucky. “We appreciate all the support we have had over the years by our people.”
The two met through AAU play with Kentucky Premier in high school before both going to Louisville to start their collegiate careers.
Duvall was Miss Basketball in 2017 and Robins in 2018. Both doubt that many, if any, of the girls who attended any of their camps even realize they were both Miss Basketball winners.
“We don’t put ourselves on a pedestal. We try to relate to the kids and have fun,” Duvall said. “But it is cool to have a best friend who is also a Miss Basketball. It’s so rare to win that award and then finding Miss Basketballs who are great friends is even rarer.”
Robins said the two “really bonded” at Louisville and then stayed in touch through COVID.
“She went on to Northern where Emmy Souder, my former teammate (at Mercer) and my friend, was. Her and Emmy became best friends, so now we all hang out together. It’s pretty unusual to have two best friends who are also best friends. Emmy was going to be here but she got a ‘big girl” job and just could not turn it down,” Robins, who finished her collegiate career at Tennessee-Martin, said Thursday.
Robins said her and Duvall both missed being around basketball and felt they had the experience and knowledge to “give back” to young girls. They are already talking about doing camps again next year but likely not in July when girls are busy with other activities.
Robins started 27 games last season when she averaged 8.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.1 steals, 2.1 rebounds and 31.3 minutes per game. She says she’s not really had enough time yet to miss playing or the grind she went through for years to make herself a college player.
“I think I will eventually miss it more but right now I am just enjoying life without basketball and seeing a different perspective on life,” she said.
She recently got married — Duvall was one of the bridesmaids — and will return to UT-Martin in the fall to complete her student teaching to get her special education certification. Robins might eventually consider coaching but not as she starts her teaching career next year.
Duvall, a two-time all-conference player at Northern Kentucky who score 1,347 points in three years, considers herself a “basketball guru” who has found “peace” after being away from basketball for a year.
“I ended my career at a place I gave it all I had. I know I will stay involved in basketball in some way because I loved it,” she said.
Bullitt East coach Chris Stallings, who was at Thursday’s camp, asked her about joining his coaching staff but she felt she needed to experience life outside Mt. Washington.
“I need to be on my own for a year without basketball,” Duvall, who is getting ready to start a logistics job with a freight company in northern Kentucky that will take advantage of her organizational skills.
“We hope we can keep doing camps next year,” Duvall said. “We are learning as we go this year but we compliment each other well. We don’t get in tussles because we are both in this to help kids.”
Larry Vaught Photos
