Another spring AAU season is in the books for the Swish and
it was my most enjoyable AAU experience – by far.
Since 5th grade when this team was started at
M-Plex, I was open with the players/parents and let them know that if I was
going to invest my time into building this team, my intention was to draw the
best players to the program and build an elite team.
Along the way, some tough decisions had to be made. Some
wrong decisions were made. There has been constant roster turnover.
After winning the state title with this team as 6th
graders, I got greedy. Our tryout numbers were ridiculous – over 50 kids for
the fall season. We had come a long way since telling the four kids from the
initial try-out to bring some friends or there would be no team. I cut some key
players from the state title team. I kept 13 players after initially wanting to
keep 15 since the cuts were difficult. We won a lot of games that fall, but
managing minutes was tough and we had log jams at almost every position.
That spring I decided to invite everybody back from the fall
– all 13 players. Twelve of those players took me up on the offer and again
similar problems occurred. We had too many (perceived) elite players and only
five spots on the court. We finished fourth in the state after losing to the
Bay State Jaguars, a team that we always competed with, but they just had our
number. This season was the worst experience in the four years of this team’s
existence. I had high expectations for the team. The parents had high
expectations. We had chemistry issues. Players didn’t finish the season.
Parents started exploring other options. It was just a bad, regrettable season
all the way around.
The fall of 2013, the girls 8th grade year, was
better than the spring… but we still had issues. We played the Jaguars four
times, and lost all of them. We added two new players, but they couldn’t get
their feet fully wet because of the competition level we played and I hadn’t
yet trusted them in games we were going for wins. The Jaguars were our owner.
Between the fall and spring, we had lost seven straight to them. They had the
mental edge over us.
After the fall ’13 season, two starters from our team decided
to try another program - which is something I am perfectly fine with. AAU is
about finding the right fit, and sometimes hearing another voice is healthy.
When you lose two starters from a team that is on the edge of elite that can’t
get over the hump to be the unanimous best team in the state – it was crushing.
Or it could have been.
This spring’s team had one another’s back. They inspired one
another to get in the gym more. They ran their own workouts. They hung out more
than ever off the court. The players weren’t concerned about what position they
were playing – they just wanted to play. They became a team that didn’t just
enjoy winning; they absolutely refused to lose.
They opened up the season against old nemesis Bay State
Jaguars, beat them by one point, and went on to win the Springfield Hall Of
Fame Classic. The following weekend they played up in the 10th grade
age level at Mass Premier Courts and won handily. They left the area to test
its mettle against teams from CT and NY at a Blue Chip event in Connecticut and
went 5-0. All this led up to the MA D1 state tournament where the team returned
to dominance, and defeated all challengers by double digits en route to another
state title.
This past weekend, the Swish wrapped up its season by
capturing the Black Diamond Championship title in Scranton, PA. They finished
the season with a 48-3 record. The only 8th grade team to beat the
Swish was the Albany Capitals at the GymRat Challenge.
I would urge the players on this team to live in the
present. Take a step back and enjoy the accomplishments. Next season, who
knows? Look at the Red Sox. Enjoy this one while it’s still fresh.
1 – Nicole Gallagher (5th season)
After playing for MT Elite in the spring then fall of
2014, we welcomed Gallagher back with open arms. This gritty combo guard was a
scoring machine this spring and injected this team with instant toughness as
soon as she put the number one uniform back on. Capable of playing both guard
spots, Gallagher was also one of the team’s leading rebounders as she is not
afraid to mix it up with the trees down low. She earned MVP honors at Hall of
Fame Classic and MPC Club Championship. She was also named all-tournament team
at Gym Rat Challenge.
2 – Tess Sussman (4th season)
Sussman is arguably the most talented player in New
England and put together a very consistent season. She does many things well,
and seems to get taller and fast every week. She has the versatility to play
any position on the floor. She was named MVP at MPC Kick-off Classic, named to
all-tournament team at MPC Club Championship and was honorable mention at Gym
Rat Challenge.
3 – Lily Sykes (6th season)
This two-sport (soccer) stud makes an instant impact any
time she is on the floor. She is capable of playing both guard spots, but
really makes her living on the defensive end. She was a catalyst in the state
championship game as she made some highlight reel defensive stops. Also came
into this season with a much improved outside shot and plenty of nifty moves in
the paint.
4 – Kaylin Reen (7th season)
The only player that has been on the team for every single
season really grew her game this spring. Everyone in the state knows she can
light it up from deep (people in PA know that too after her 7 3’s in bracket
play this past weekend), but Kaylin worked tirelessly on her ball handling and
was a sneaky great defender and rebounder all spring. She was named
all-tournament team of the MPC Kick-Off Classic.
10 – Kaitlyn Guenet (2nd season)
After joining the Swish in the fall, we weren’t really sure
what we were getting from this 5’10” inside-out player due to her ability to
play high school volleyball at Ursuline Academy. This spring she carved out a
niche as the point player on our press and saved her best two tournaments for
last as she started scoring more while shooting with confidence and mixed it up
more down low to help on the glass. She starts the game at the 3, but was
versatile enough to play multiple spots for us.
She was named all-tournament team at the MPC Club Championship.
11 – Shannon Lynch (2nd season)
Like Guenet, Lynch came over in the fall and it was a
figuring out process on how to use her. Lynch became a silent assassin as
evidenced by her five 3-pointer effort in the varsity championship of the Zero
Gravity New Hampshire state tournament. She ended the season on a high note as
she hit two huge second half 3-pointers to give the Swish the lead for good in
its win over Long Island Lightning at the Black Diamond Championship. Lynch is
also a great rebounder that runs the floor as good as anybody on the team.
14 – Kiera Fernandes (5th season)
One of the best inside-outside players in the state,
Fernandes has been the best 6th man in New England all year. Kiera
has the ability to score in bunches with her much improved outside shot and her
aggressive drives to the basket. She always seemed to have her best games
against the Jaguars, as she was dominant on the glass and scored some timely
buckets in the state title game. She earned all-tournament team honors at the
Hall of Fame Kick-Off Classic and Gym Rat Challenge.
23 – Ashley Sampson (6th season)
Since joining the team, Sampson has been the engine that
makes the team run. This elite point guard may have registered her strongest
season yet, as she expanded her skill set to pick more spots to score in
addition to setting the table for her teammates. Comfortable finishing with
both hands, Ashley has also added a consistent outside shot to her game. She was named go MPC Club Championship
all-tournament team and GymRat Challenge honorable mention.
24 – Ali Ready (5th season)
When Ali joined the team, she was primarily a forward. As
her teammates have grown by her, she has done a great job adapting to playing
more guard. She still defends and grabs rebounds as a forward-at-heart, but now
as a guard she has added some shake to her game with better ball handling and a
much improved outside shot. She is fearless on the glass and going for loose
balls.
33 – Anna Shaughnessy (4th season)
Anna has been the most dominating low post scorer in the
area ever since her coming out party last spring in Ohio. She runs the floor
extremely well, with or without the ball, and has become a menace in the
passing lanes racking up the steals. Anna is a double-double waiting to happen
as she typically dominates the glass. She earned MPC Kick-Off Classic and MPC
Club Championship all-tournament team honors.
45 – Shannon Smally (1st season)
Shannon was the lone rookie on the team and played a
valuable role as a back-up forward. As one of the best shot blockers on the
team, Smally was great on the back side of the press and down low in zones. She
had her best game of the season in the Elite 8 of the MA state tournament
against RI Breakers. She had no problem mixing it up with one of the bigger
teams in the area.
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