WBCA announces Jed Henderson and Molly Olson as recipients of the Legacy Leadership Award

The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association has announced Jed Henderson of Rib Lake and Molly Olson of Albany/Monticello as the 2026 student recipients of the Legacy Leadership Award. 

The award was established in 2019 to honor the legacy, leadership, and lives of WBCA Executive Board members John Cary (former MACC Fund director), Jerry Petitgoue (state's winningest coach & WBCA Executive Director), and David Royston (founder of JustAGame Fieldhouse) in recognition of their leadership qualities, characteristics in interpersonal relationships, and achievement as Board members.

The WBCA Legacy Leadership Award will be given annually to an Executive Board member and senior student who demonstrates the exemplary qualities of Character, Courage, and Service. Todd Fergot of La Crosse Central was previously selected as the Executive Board recipient of the award this year.

The supporting information provided by the coaches of Henderson and Olson can be found below.

Supporting information from Rib Lake coach Todd Henderson:

I would like to nominate Rib Lake Senior, Jed Henderson, for the The Legacy Leadership Award for Character, Courage and Service. In the last four years Jed has demonstrated these characteristics both on and off the basketball court. He has really grown and developed as a player and leader since his freshman year to now his senior season. He is a young man of character, courage, conviction and enjoys serving the youth that look up to him (he is 6’6”) in his school and community.

On the court, Jed Henderson has been a part of the Rib Lake Varsity basketball program for 4 years and a team captain the last 2 years. He suffered a dislocated kneecap and partially torn ligament near the end of freshman season and worked hard to rehabilitate and grow and improve his game after that setback. He saw limited varsity minutes his sophomore season on a senior dominated conference championship team that had 21 wins. After putting in countless hours in the gym, backyard court and workouts in the off-season, Jed averaged 16.1 ppg and 10.3 rpm his junior campaign and helped lead the team to a 2nd straight conference championship and the Sectional Final.

That season Jed was voted 1st team all-conference and Player of the Year in the Marawood North. The first time in our conference someone received that honor after being a non-starter the year before. Jed has had a dream of playing college basketball since he was young and has now received two offers to continue playing basketball at the Div. III collegiate level. His hard work and dedication have paid off to reach that goal.

Off the court, Jed has served and worked with younger players, our youth program and elementary students in our schools and community. He has volunteered at afternoon youth basketball clinics, helped with junior high basketball practices, refereed youth tournaments, volunteered to serve by leading small groups at his church’s weekly children’s ministry and summer VBS program. In school, Jed is a part of Student Council, NHS and FCA Huddle leader all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Jed is an encourager by nature and has been a leader with positive energy on and off the court. He has often given rides home from practice to younger teammates, encouraging and praising them on the court when they make good plays and a great listener when they are going through struggles. His character is grounded in his Faith and Jed actively seeks to live it out by how he treats his teammates, classmates and the youth in our community. I believe that Jed Henderson is the type of high school basketball player that exemplifies the Legacy Leadership Award and he would be honored to be considered for it.

Supporting information from Albany/Monticello coach Derik Doescher:

The WBCA Legacy Leadership Award is largely based on LEGACY & LEADERSHIP. In my 23+ years of head coaching, I’ve never coached an athlete that epitomized LEGACY & LEADERSHIP more than Molly Olson. Molly’s ability to inspire others by demonstrating character, resilience, and an intense work ethic, proving that true success lies in preparation and overcoming adversity, not just winning.

Molly’s leadership on the basketball court has led to countless individual & team successes and awards. At the halfway point of her senior year, Molly is a three-time all-conference player, 1st team all-conference player as a junior, D5 WBCA honorable all-state as a junior, over 1,000 point scorer, two-time team MVP, and has led the “Space Stallions” to two consecutive regional championships, two sectional finals, and a WIAA state championship as a sophomore in 2024. Molly is the program's all-time leader in steals & has been able to achieve all of this while measuring at 5’2” tall. She has always been outsized, but never out-hearted. Molly’s last three years as the starting point guard for the Albany-Monticello program have led to a win/loss record of 71 wins & 6 losses. A very common saying is, "Small but mighty,” & that is so true when talking about Molly’s play as a basketball player and the impact that she has had on the communities, schools, & people of the Albany & Monticello communities.

What overshadows all of these basketball accolades is the hardest-working and most humble human being you will ever find. Molly is an all-state cross country runner in the fall & starting shortstop/leadoff hitter for the softball program in the spring. You combine that with her basketball talents, and she truly is an all-around athlete. Oh, & by the way, you want to talk about academics??? Molly has a 4.0 GPA and will be the valedictorian at Monticello HS this graduation year. She excels academically and athletically while participating in Band, National Honor Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Math Club, FBLA, & Student Council. An impressive resume to say the least, but what truly separates Molly from the rest is her willingness school & community service to better the towns of Monticello & Albany. Every single weekend in the winter, you will find Molly officiating youth basketball tournaments in Monticello & Albany. Multiple games a day on Saturdays & Sundays, even after having a late game on a Friday night, Molly will volunteer her time to give back to youth basketball players and our youth basketball league. She has done this for four straight years, officiating more than 100 games of various ages & genders. Molly has worked youth basketball, softball, & running camps for our communities, where she is always a favorite of all the youth girls & boys! Each year, Molly has spearheaded a night called “Play With the Ponies,” where high school athletes take a night and lead different stations of games for youth to come in and play, while prizes are handed out throughout the night. Molly’s station is always the most crowded and sought out. Lastly, Molly is a certified lifeguard at the Monticello pool, where she works during the summer months in between her busy sports & community service schedule. Kids attending the pool look forward to seeing their small-town idol supervising the pool as the lead lifeguard. All of these examples show the CLARITY that Molly has. She understands the “BIG PICTURE” of life and what it means to help & inspire others.

In Molly’s freshman year of basketball, she was moved up to the varsity level right away. If you watched Molly play, you would have never known. Since day one, she has dared to be a leader in the roughest stretches of the game, in the locker room, & in the hallways of MHS & AHS. This takes courage & usually isn’t brought to fruition until one’s junior or senior seasons. Not with Molly, it has been her courageous personality that has changed our entire program for the last four years.

I have countless stories of the humility side of Molly. I can honestly say, I have never met anyone, not even an adult as humble as this young lady. It has never been & never will be about her accolades, whether it is about the team! When recently approaching her 1,000 point mark, it has NEVER been talked about. Molly hasn’t wanted any attention drawn to her accomplishment. She never talked about it to the coaches or teammates. Last season, because of our program's success, we found out that we would be bumped to D4 for the WIAA tournament because of the “Competitive Balance & Success Factor.” Losing three all-conference players and starters last year, it was Molly who took it upon herself to be the senior leader we needed. As our small towns questioned the fairness of this, it was Molly, small in stature, but huge in heart, standing up and advocating that we would be fine & needed to focus on our program and goals & not the fairness of rules. Because of this mentality, she has her squad sitting at 17-1 this season! Her teammates adore her and follow her lead, not her lead through words, but rather her lead through actions, work ethic, & humility.

In summary, the characteristics that Molly has led with have had a profound impact on the community of Monticello, Albany, & both high schools. The Monticello High School has 85 students total in grades 9-12 & Albany High School has 70 students total in grades 9-12. Every little girl who walks the halls in those 4k-12th grade buildings wants to be like Molly.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says: "Many small people, who in many small places do many small things, can alter the face of the world." At 5’2”, Molly Olson has altered our program from a basketball standpoint, but more importantly the LEGACY she has left has forever altered the small-town communities of Monticello & Albany through her LEADERSHIP & HUMILITY.

For all of these reasons, fittingly, I would like to nominate Molly Olson for the WBCA Legacy Leadership Award.