Being the youngest of seven sisters has quite a few benefits. And for 19-year-old Riley Weng the biggest benefit of all was watching and learning the game of basketball.
“It was a bunch of girls and my dad,” Weng said. “I was practically raised playing basketball.”
Six of her seven sisters played for the Tartan Pride. She credits her oldest sister Beth as being her role model and inspiration to keep playing the game.
“She has a bunch of awards… and she’s always been like a mom to me,” Weng said.
Weng is in her first season for the Tartan Pride and is averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She is studying Business Information Systems (Medical) and would like to go to The Ohio State University after her time at Sinclair.
For Weng, having a large family always meant having a large cheering section at her games.
“I don’t think my grandma, my mom or my dad have ever missed a game,” Weng said.
During her junior year in high school, Weng had a child. Having her son could have been the end of her playing days. But thanks to the support from her family, she returned to the court. She said that her two-year-old son Bronson is the motivation for everything that she does and she will always put him first.
The freshman guard said she enjoys the company of her teammates and that she loves how close-knit the group is this year and even though the women’s team has a small roster, it doesn’t bother her because everyone gets playing time.
Weng said that her role on the team has changed compared to the role she played at Bellbrook. She went from playing a more post-oriented position, to now playing a guard position.
Although music is commonly heard in the locker room before games, she doesn’t necessarily listen to anything special to prepare for the game. However, the 5 foot 10 inch guard said she does pray with her teammates before each game.
When Weng is not playing basketball, she is working as a server part-time at Cracker Barrel, and works mostly on weekends.
She plans on returning to play next season for the Tartan Pride and hopes to improve her game while maintaining her positive attitude toward her classes.
You can see Weng and the entire Tartan Pride team take on Cincinnati State Community College on Feb. 22 in the gymnasium in Building 8 at 5:30 p.m.