New York’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball set for NFHS HOF induction

Caryn Schoff-Kovatch was inducted into the NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame in 2024

Caryn Schoff-Kovatch, middle, is with her with the St. Johnsville girls basketball team in the mid 1990s. / Caryn Schoff-Kovatch

One day, former New York State girls basketball standout Caryn Schoff-Kovatch received an unexpected phone call.

Fresh off her induction into the NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame last year, Schoff-Kovatch was told she will be part of the Class of 2025’s enshrinement into the NFHS Hall of Fame.

“I’m just really honored,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “I have a heart of gratitude. It’s given me an opportunity to look back and celebrate the success I had all those years ago.”

Schoff-Kovatch, who played for St. Johnsville High School (Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville HS in the present day) from 1989 to 1995, capped her career as the state’s overall all-time leading scorer with 3,548 points.

She held the title until Joe Girard, former Glens Falls boys basketball star, eclipsed the record in 2018. However, Schoff-Kovatch still holds the top spot as the all-time leading scorer in girls basketball.

On top of that, Schoff-Kovatch was part of state and federation championship teams in the mid-1990s. Led by Pam Macek, that run included a perfect 64-0 record for St. Johnsville.

“It was an exciting time,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “My mindset was to win and compete. We were raised that way. God blessed me with an amazing family and support.”

St. Johnsville’s first championship season

Schoff-Kovatch’s varsity basketball career began when she was a seventh grader.

She and the St. Johnsville program quickly elevated to a competitive team, despite being a small Class D school with just eight players.

As the team kept chipping away at the postseason, the team reached the Class D state championship game in the 1992-93 season.

Schoff-Kovatch distinctively remembers looking up at the clock at the state title game, quickly realizing how close the team was to being champions.

To this day, the thought still gives her chills.

“There’s no way (our opponent was) going to catch up, we won this game,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “The game wasn’t over, but I looked over at my sister (Wendy) at halfcourt and we both knew we won the game. It was something really special.”

Schoff-Kovatch had the luxury of playing alongside her sister for a handful of seasons. When the duo helped secure St. Johnsville’s first title, they wanted more.

“We wanted another one. Once you’ve won one, you have that wisdom to do what it takes to keep winning,” Schoff-Kovatch said.

The Schoff family connection

Many people saw Schoff-Kovatch as the fiercest competitor on the court. But, she thought that honor belonged to her sister Wendy.

“I looked up to her,” Schoff-Kovatch said.

When St. Johnsville won the Class D state crown, the Schoff sisters had one more season to play alongside each other. Entering the 1993-94 campaign, Caryn was a junior and Wendy a senior.

From playing together in AAU to competing in the Empire State Games, the Schoff sisters were inseparable.

“A lot of that contributed to our success on the court,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “I played a little more under the basket, but (Wendy) had this pure shot, so she was dominating the outside shot. She was a heck of a player. We were a dynamic duo.”

The pure basketball talent was passed down from their father Phil Schoff, who played at Syracuse University and went to compete with the Atlanta Hawks for a short period of time.

Schoff-Kovatch noted that her father, who was the ultimate athlete in the family, turned down a contract with the New York Mets.

“He ended up coaching for 25-plus years and found success with it,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “My dad was great at what he did.”

That Schoff family grit and determination ran through the sister duo, as they secured a second-straight Class D state title in Wendy’s final season.

“We were all led by our coach who taught us to never fear failure and to just go hard and compete,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “It’s something I’m proud of. Looking back at what we accomplished will always hold a special place in my heart.”

The player-coach relationship between Schoff-Kovatch and Macek had more of an impact on Caryn than she realized. It transitioned into a long-lasting friendship.

Schoff-Kovatch’s friendship with Coach Macek

Schoff-Kovatch said Macek would always say practice needs to be harder than the game. Despite going through challenging preparations throughout the basketball season, Schoff-Kovatch knew it was for a good cause.

“(Coach Macek) is an amazing woman,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “We laugh about some of the times she got upset with us or pushed us. It’s been a fun time to reflect.”

Macek would sometimes bring in fellow basketball players to stop by St. Johnsville’s practices and scrimmage against her team.

“She had crazy ways to develop us and make us better,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “She ignited a fire in us. She saw something in me where she wouldn’t let me settle for anything other than excellence on and off the court.”

Schoff-Kovatch noted that Macek was small in stature, but the coach’s heart and competitiveness fueled her players over the years.

“The relationship between a player and a coach is one of the most special ever,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “We stayed close throughout the years. She’s always supportive and encouraging. She was the biggest cheerleader, but she’d always push you. I’m grateful for her doing that.”

Continuing her father’s legacy

When Schoff-Kovatch capped her high school career in the 1994-95 season, she collected plenty of accolades in her six-year run with St. Johnsville.

Schoff-Kovatch was named Co-Miss New York Basketball with Chamique Holdsclaw after she averaged 36 points and 16 points a game in her senior season.

She garnered USA Today All-State Player of the Year honors in 1993, along with New York State Sportswriters State Player of the Year in 1994 and an induction into the New York State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.

Schoff-Kovatch finished her high school career with 25 Section II records, and the single-game girls basketball records with 51 points in 1994. St. Johnsville retired her No. 32 jersey a few years later.

Her accomplishments off the court are equally impressive. Schoff-Kovatch was the salutatorian of her class, played trumpet in the school band, was sportswriter for the school’s newspaper and was also a prom queen candidate.

Caryn Schoff-Kovatch competing for the Syracuse women's basketball team in the late 1990s. / Caryn Schoff-Kovatch

When it came time to select a college to continue her basketball career, she was considered one of the more highly touted recruits. She chose Syracuse over UConn.

“I really wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “As a kid, we’d always go to alumni games at the (Carrier) Dome. There was a sense of pride and connection to Syracuse that made me want to play there.”

Schoff-Kovatch quickly earned a starting spot in her freshman year with the Orange. She even helped the team upset UConn.

“It was special to me because I turned them down. I’m probably one of the few athletes that can say I turned UConn down,” Schoff-Kovatch said.

In her four-year career at Syracuse, Schoff-Kovatch finished with 583 points and 429 rebounds, a Big East Conference all-star and academic all-star nods, and recognition as a captain her senior year.

Schoff-Kovatch and the Orange also had a share of the Big East championship.

“I did the best I could with where I was,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “I do wish we did better as a team. We were good athletes, but we didn’t see our true potential as a team.”

Shortly after she concluded her playing career, Schoff-Kovatch entered the world of coaching.

“I never would’ve thought that I’d make a transition from player to coach,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “As I’ve gotten older, I realize the impact that a coach has on their players.”

Coaching in Kentucky

Schoff-Kovatch’s varsity coaching career began with eight years as an assistant coach at Christian Academy of Louisville. She recently wrapped up her second year as the head coach of the Assumption High School girls basketball team in Louisville.

“I’m thrilled to be at Assumption High School,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “It was the perfect time in my life to take on a head coaching job. Culture is so important, and it’s the first thing you can taste when you walk into a gym. You look at a team and realize sometimes they’re going to be good. That was something I really wanted to impact.”

Schoff-Kovatch has led Assumption to a district title, an appearance in the regional semifinals and back-to-back seasons of 20 or more wins. 

She noted that this season the team lost six games. Schoff-Kovatch immediately thought of when St. Johnsville went 146-7 in her career. That included the consecutive undefeated seasons.

“Sometimes, I’ll put that into perspective and remember that I went through two whole seasons (as a player) without a loss,” Schoff-Kovatch said.

Schoff-Kovatch, who was selected as regional coach of the year, noted that the team's loss in the regional semifinals was “crushing,” but it also showed the direction that the program is heading.

“I’m really proud of the strides we’ve made as a team,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “I’m enjoying giving back and having that perspective from playing on a successful team. Being part of a culture like that is something you want to emulate.”

Much like the relationship Schoff-Kovatch had with her father and Coach Macek, she’s established a good balance as a coach and a mother to her daughter Kyla.

Kyla, who first had her mother as coach in third grade, is Assumption’s 6-foot point guard.

“It’s been fun,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “It’s important to be able to handle the ball, regardless of if you’re big or not. She sprouted right up.”

Schoff-Kovatch never wants to coach Kyla differently. Similar to Coach Macek’s coaching style, Schoff-Kovatch is hard on her players during practice.

“We’ve really turned a corner on understanding the coach vs. player and mother and daughter relationships,” Schoff-Kovatch said. “My (coaching style) is really something that now being a coach I really want to pour into and be that for my players as well.”

Schoff-Kovatch built an impressive resume as a player. Now, she’s on the path to doing the same as a coach.

“Beyond her athletic achievements, Caryn’s legacy extends into the positive influence she continues to have on student-athletes today,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA executive director. “As a coach and mentor, Caryn has dedicated herself to fostering the next generation of athletes, instilling in them the values of teamwork, dedication and discipline. Her commitment to the development of young athletes is reflected not only in their success on the field but in their growth as individuals.”

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