Maddie Van Weber

Fearless and Loud: The Making of Maddie Van Weber

From U11 beginnings to coaching the next generation, Maddie’s story is about loving the game enough to give it everything — and give it back.

Every athlete starts somewhere. For Maddie Van Weber, it was a process of elimination. Her parents tossed her into everything — rock climbing, volleyball, dance, swimming — a full buffet of childhood activities. And somewhere between the chalk dust, the water, and the gym floors, one thing stuck. “Basketball just won out,” she says. “It became the sport I loved.”

That love turned into a purpose. Maddie isn’t interested in being just another player — she wants to be a go-to player, the kind her teammates trust and her coaches rely on. “My success is team success,” she says. “What keeps me going is knowing I can get better.” It’s not a motivational poster quote; it’s a mission statement.

Her favorite part of the game might actually live off the scoreboard. Through basketball, Maddie’s found a way to impact her community, coaching kids in a specialized program at her school. “I got to be part of their success at sports day,” she says. “And I built friendships with kids I never would’ve met otherwise.” It’s the kind of quiet leadership that builds culture, not just stats.

Ask her what advice she’d give to younger athletes, and she doesn’t hesitate:

“Be fearless and not afraid to make mistakes. Be loud. Have fun.”

It’s not just talk — it’s how she plays. Energy over ego. Work over shortcuts. “I want to be remembered as a great teammate who always put in the work and didn’t take the easy route,” she says.

That’s Maddie Van Weber in a nutshell — the player who found her sport by trying everything, fell in love with it by competing, and keeps building her legacy one fearless, loud rep at a time.