Early on, Shannon Crotty learned the importance of acceptance and leadership in a team setting.
The Ridgewood junior, as one of three captains, promised herself that she would not make the same mistakes as some of the Rebels’ previous leaders. She has been on the varsity roster since her freshman season, but she said in the past, Ridgewood’s seniors did not embrace the younger players as much as she would have liked.
Sarah Mahoney is Ridgewood’s only senior this season, and she won’t return from an ACL injury until late January. That means the junior Rebels are setting the tone.
Crotty and her fellow captains, Anita Borawski and Ewelina Kolaczewski, have embraced their new role. They know the sophomores play a critical role for the program’s success, not just this year but in years ahead. And with zero minutes played by seniors to this point, the Rebels are off to a 4-4 start in coach Kristi Meade’s second season.
“In the past years, the other girls weren’t as accepting as my year has been,” Crotty said. “I want to be a good leader to the young girls, you know? If they mess up, it’s OK. If someone doesn’t understand something, I’ll help them through it.
“It’s all about how you learn and how people treat you. The younger girls not only love to play, but they love being part of the team. It’s been great. We’re like family.”
Crotty has been the leading scorer for Ridgewood this season. She supplied 28 points, six rebounds and five assists aganst Guerin on Dec. 10. She turned in a 27-point performance Nov. 23 against Woodlands Academy. The scoring has always come easily for Crotty, who has been asked to take more shots than she has in previous seasons.
The progress in that realm never ends.
“Right now, I’m working most on perfecting my shot,” Crotty said. “I tend to rush it. I’m not a big shooter. Most of my points are from driving, layups and fast breaks. But I know if I can improve my shot, take more jump shots or 3s, I can improve on that 28 (point total). My goal is to get into the 40s.”
Meade said she is pleased with the on-court progression of all her captains, especially Crotty. But the leadership they’ve shown, especially a season earlier than generally is expected, has been a massive boost for the Rebels. For a team that went 8-18 last season — with only two Metro Suburban wins — this season’s results are clearly better, even with the age difference.
“We care about them. They work hard, and then little by little, they see the growth and success,” Meade said. “We don’t use (our youth) as an excuse, so I don’t want to change my coaching philosophy because of the age. We just want to get them the experience.”
Meade saw something different in Crotty once the team voted her as a captain. A certain ownership emerged, a confidence that she, Borawski and Kolaczewski, could work together during the next two seasons to give Ridgewood a significant push in the right direction.
“I honestly think we’re way better than what everyone expected us to be,” Crotty said. “You can tell we’re just ahead of what other teams expect. Everyone is shocked when they come out and see us play. We seem older than we are.”
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Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press