Day by day, things are getting a little brighter for Ludlow senior Addy Garrett, one of northern Kentucky’s most productive multi‑sport athletes.
“I’m doing well,” she said. “Definitely better than this time last year.”
Garrett has played three high school sports, earned college offers and climbed steadily up Ludlow’s all‑time scoring lists. Her numbers and awards tell one story. The rest of her career tells another.
Character‑defining moments have unfolded away from the playing venues. Garrett has built her résumé while working through personal heartbreak and navigating medical episodes that led to an unexpected diagnosis this fall.
“This past year has been hard on her,” said her mother, Julie Futscher, a former basketball player at Beechwood. “I’m really proud of her.”
She’s not the only one paying attention.
“It has been nice to have an athletic scorer leading the way,” said Ludlow first‑year girls basketball coach Justin Wade. “Players and coaches are aware of how close she is to the school record. Player goals are very important. I am excited to be part of this run that she’s had her senior year and all through her career.”
Ludlow is 10‑10 after clinching another NKAC Division III regular season title and stringing together wins against regional opponents. Garrett, a backcourt player, has celebrated each step with teammates while climbing the school’s leaderboards. Seniors Kiley Huff and Alex Adcock, three juniors, and a promising group of underclassmen round out a balanced lineup.
“We have really good team chemistry,” said Garrett, the reigning NKAC D‑3 player of the year. “I’m a scorer but I like to get other people involved because we have other scorers besides me. Most of my points come off steals and fast breaks.”
And they just keep coming.
A career of ups and downs
Sitting on 1,914 career points, Garrett has already passed her sister Mylee in the school’s top 10. She needs 93 more to break Jenna Lillard’s record of 2,006. She’s been among the local and state scoring leaders all season. With four or five regular‑season games left, depending on how the Panthers do in Friday’s first game of the NKAC Tournament, and at least one 34th District Tournament game guaranteed, the record is within reach.
If Ludlow plays the minimum five remaining games, Garrett needs to average 18.6 points to break the record. If the Panthers extend their season by a game, the number drops to 15.5. She currently averages 20.1, which ranks fourth locally and 19th in Kentucky. Ludlow has played at least two postseason games in four of her previous five varsity seasons.
If she plays seven more games, the record looks like it’s hers. With or without it, Garrett has already set a standard at Ludlow that will be difficult to match.
She is a six‑year stalwart with 150 games played, a seventh‑grader turned captain, a go‑to option in tight moments, and a steady presence in the locker room. She has done all of it while playing for four different head coaches.
“It seems like every year I’ve had to reset and relearn,” Garrett said.
One constant has been longtime Ludlow assistant Justin Adcock, who has coached the senior class since grade school.
“Every championship team needs different types of contributors,” Adcock said. “We have seniors who provide the emotional heartbeat and the leadership that holds us together, and we have a talent like Addy Garrett who provides the firepower.”
Off the court, Garrett is just as essential. The 17‑year‑old is a valued sister and a loving daughter who lost her father this time last year. He passed away in his sleep on Feb. 11. Despite her own grief, Garrett was the one comforting others. Her mother says she sees the world in a deeper way that can sometimes be heavy.
“She has struggled with her mental health and depression. This year playing without him in the stands has been hard,” said Futscher, a former basketball coach. “A lot of her pregame prep is getting mentally prepared, not overthinking and letting outside noise affect her game. And therapy has helped. She wants to become a sports therapist to help kids overcome mental health struggles in sports specifically.”
Months after her father’s death, the symptoms she’d felt since freshman year grew harder to ignore. A cardiologist eventually diagnosed her with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) during soccer — a season she still led Ludlow in scoring for the fourth straight year.
POTS causes rapid heart rate, dizziness, and fatigue when moving from lying down to standing. Garrett has adjusted, stayed safe, and kept producing. Among the extra steps she takes are staying hydrated and increasing electrolyte intake.
“Sometimes, I’ll drink pickle juice or have a Gatorade and a halftime snack to help me out,” she said. “In some ways, I am relieved to know what it is because my dad had diabetes and I was scared I had it.”
The road ahead
The scoring record may fall this month, but the resilience Garrett has shown over the last few years is already part of her legacy. If the ball bounces Ludlow’s way in February, the Panthers could find themselves in the kind of postseason run that electrifies a small school.
“I’m excited to see her growth as the season winds down and we strive to meet our team goals of making a run in the district,” Wade said. “Kiley Huff has also had a monster year for us. She is one of the key contributors. And also Alex Adcock, who is one of our best leaders. Even though she doesn’t always score a lot, she defends really well and has a positive attitude every day.”
Garrett has basketball offers from UC‑Clermont, Miami‑Hamilton, and small colleges in Pennsylvania and New York. She plans to visit in‑state soccer programs at Georgetown, Midway, and Union. She’ll return to track this spring after a year away.
“Addy is incredibly athletic,” Wade said. “She has the ability to get to the rim and create her own shot anytime she wants. She is a great defender and can generate lots of steals with her length and basketball IQ. She’s also a great rebounder for a guard. I think her ability to score speaks volumes, especially having four different systems during her varsity years.”
Four different head coaches for one persevering soul. Confusing symptoms for much of that journey. A lost father at age 16. A diagnosis that arrived only after he was gone. A senior season that may end with a record and a few more wins.
Next comes college — and a plan to help young athletes navigate the pressures she knows so well.
“I’ve had some good blessings come to me,” Garrett said. “And I want to tell my story so people know you can have things happen to you and you can still get through them.”