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player ready...Margaret Whitley is as good as new. That’s great news for Geneva.
The 5-foot-8 junior guard is a big reason why the Vikings (5-0) have roared out of the gates.
Whitley, who’s averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 assists, has scored in double figures the last four games. She produced 22 points last Thursday against Streamwood.
“She had a great year last year, don’t get me wrong,” Geneva coach Sarah Meadows said of Whitley. “But she’s a different player this year.”
It’s with good reason.
Around Halloween last year Whitley got sick. She assumed it was a common cold and a runny nose, but it never went away.
She visited her doctor, who put her on an antibiotic. It didn’t cure Whitley, and neither did five subsequent antibiotics and three steroids. Whitley could barely breathe out of her nostrils.
She was easily drained on the basketball court.
“I would get tired super fast,” Whitley said. “I remember saying to my mom that I was running and doing all these things to get in shape but I didn’t feel right. It was frustrating. I wanted to stay in games, but I couldn’t.”
Eventually Whitley was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, a common condition in which the cavities around the nasal passages become inflamed and swollen.
She had sinus surgery and her adenoids removed, but postponed the procedure from January to March to get through basketball season.
Feeling herself again, Whitley was away from home all but five days this past July during a busy AAU season.
“After surgery it was weird breathing out of my nose,” Whitley said. “I feel great. I can tell that I’m stronger.”
Whitley is a playmaker, the kind of kid that wants the ball at crucial times and isn’t afraid of the big moment. She’s been that way since she first put on a Geneva uniform.
In her first varsity starter as a freshman, Whitley burst on the scene with 20 points against Batavia as teammate Janie McCloughan went out with a concussion.
But Whitley bears little resemblance now to that player. She’s grown three inches and put on 20-30 pounds, mainly muscle.
“It’s crazy the difference in her body from freshman to junior year,” Meadows said. “Her arms are so much bigger. She was tiny. She doesn’t look like that anymore.”
Her game has developed, too. Whitley is shooting 64 percent from the 3-point line.
“She is taking better shots, and knows when to take them,” Meadows said. “That’s maturity.”
It’s also someone who has basketball in her DNA.
Margaret’s the youngest of four Whitley girls, all of whom have played basketball for Geneva. Margaret was a third-grader in 2009 when sister Taylor led Geneva to the state finals. Oldest sister Caty is Geneva’s freshman coach.
Swimming was actually Margaret’s first sport, but that changed when Taylor started playing in college at Indiana State.
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“She grew up in a competitive house,” Meadows said. “Her dad for sure is the most competitive. He has four girls and he treats them like boys. Margaret has this drive. As good of a player as she is, she is always working on her game.”
Whitley is up to seven Division I offers, including Indiana State, Illinois State and Bradley.
She doesn’t plan on committing, though, until end of this season at the earliest. She’s too busy with a schedule that’s about to get much tougher.
Geneva plays at the Montini Chrismas Classic later this month, then faces Oswego East at the Subway Classic on Jan. 14 at Willowbrook.
“Margaret’s been invested in our program for a long time, and she’s had great leaders to watch,” Meadows said. “She’s carried on the tradition. She’s a great example to the younger girls.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.