Carly Santoro, role model, helps shape Lady Red's next generation

BELLEVUE — For Bellevue High School alumnus Carly Santoro, the kids' reaction to her presence at the Lady Red Youth Basketball Camp was reason enough to be there.The 2015 BHS grad, who finished her final season of college basketball with Ohio State a few months ago, is back in Bellevue working with her family on teaching the next generation of Lady Red hoopsters the ins and outs of the game."It's just so fun — a majority of these girls have all come out to watch me, whether it was at BGSU or Ohio State, so for them to see me when they walk into camp, their eyes just light up," Santoro said."It's just the cutest thing. Being able to talk to them and make connections with them, it's been fun to grow relationships with them and see them grow as they get to go on to play high school for Bellevue."Santoro, who began her collegiate journey playing for Bowling Green State University, where she graduated with a degree in communication disorders, has one year remaining to finish her master's degree at OSU."I'm going to finish my master's in special education, in a specialization in hearing impairment, and then eventually get a job," she said. "But right now, I'm going to be helping out."After the Lady Red youth camp, Santoro will go on to work at the University of Notre Dame women's basketball camp this summer, a gig she landed through former Falcon teammate Maddie Cole."Her sister (Kaitlin) plays for Notre Dame," Santoro said of Cole, "so they have camps and they're working it and they asked me to work it, so I'm going to go do that. It'll be a good experience — you know, they just won the national championship — so it'll be really fun to be around those girls."After that, as she finishes her master's degree, Santoro plans to work in some capacity with the OSU women's team."Basketball's been such a big part of my life, I can't let it go yet," she said of working with the Buckeyes. "I'll just do what I can. With my master's it's going to be hard, but I'm going to do what I can."Carly is, of course, just one of five Santoros working the youth basketball camp that boasts nearly 90 participants. Kory Santoro, patriarch and varsity head coach, is the man in charge, while Lady Red assistant coach Jalen Santoro (2013 Bellevue grad) is also dispensing instructions, along with current team members Casey (Kent State commit) and Cory."It's fun, it's a family affair — we all played basketball and we all want to give back the way that the sport has given to us, so it's cool to be able to work together," Carly said. "We all bounce ideas off each other, we're all open to each other and that's what makes it fun — when you have family that's how it should be."Santoro added that beyond the family time, giving back to the community of Bellevue is important to her."My heart is here in Bellevue, and it's been awesome to be able to come back and give back to the school and the community that's given me so much," she said. "These little girls look up to me and it's just so much fun to come back here and be able to impact their lives."She added that there are talented, hard-working kids coming through the Lady Red Youth Basketball Camp, and she hopes they'll carry on the Lady Red's tradition of excellence."There are some girls in there that have a lot of talent and there's a lot of good girls that work hard," she said. "I just can't wait to see what they are doing in the next couple years."We've won all these championships, and being able to come back here, I just want to ingrain that culture into them so they can do that, too."Carly Santoro, a Bellevue graduate who recently finished her senior season at Ohio State, sits with a group of children while cheering on a participant during a drill at basketball camp in Bellevue on Wednesday.Carly Santoro, a Bellevue graduate who recently finished her final season at Ohio State, gives encouragement to basketball camp participants at Bellevue High School on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.Sydney Ruffing, 10, left, and Elly Evarts, 10, work on gaining possession of the basketball during a basketball camp at Bellevue High School on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.Participants shoot baskets as part of a drill during basketball camp at Bellevue High School on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.