Barrington center Molly O’Riordan is proof that what you see is not always what you get.
Sometimes you get more.
O’Riordan, a powerfully built 6-foot-2 senior who has committed to play at Dayton, has been the tallest and strongest girl in her class since she was in sixth grade. As such, she has always been pigeonholed as a typical center.
Even Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro didn’t foresee what O’Riordan would become.
“She’s been coming to summer camp for a long time, probably since fifth or sixth grade,” Barreiro said. “We used to see her play quite a bit in middle school. Just like everybody else, I think we all saw a big, tall post. My first year at Barrington, her aunt was in our program, and her mother had just graduated.”
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O’Riordan’s mother, Wendy, who also is 6-2, was a standout for Barrington.
“So we knew she had some good basketball in her genes,” Barreiro said of O’Riordan. “We looked forward to her getting to high school, and she’s been a joy to coach.”
While O’Riordan has been dominant in the paint, she is far from one-dimensional. Perhaps that’s because she has never seen herself as a typical inside player.
“I didn’t love it in the beginning because when I was younger, I always liked to shoot the ball and jack up unnecessary threes,” she said. “But coming into freshman year, we had a bunch of guards on our team, and they saw me as a post player.
“I just embraced it, and it worked, especially our state season when we had Sophie (Swanson), Laura Mahlum, Gwen Adler and two other girls. We embraced our roles, and everyone played very well.”
As a sophomore, O’Riordan helped the Fillies advance to state for the first time. They lost to Stevenson in the Class 4A championship game. She averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds.
The Fillies lost in a supersectional last year after Swanson, who has since graduated and plays at Purdue, suffered a torn ACL in the regional tournament. O’Riordan averaged 14.4 points and 6.0 rebounds.
This season, O’Riordan has emerged as the leader of a young team that has just one other senior, and she’s spending more time on the perimeter, shooting some 3-pointers and also opening up the paint for her teammates. She was averaging 19.0 points and 10 rebounds for the Fillies (14-8) through Sunday.
“She’s really kind of come into her own,” Barreiro said. “I feel she’s a great leader for this team on the court with how she plays.
“She’s a fantastic passer. Some teams are doubling and tripling her, and she finds the open person all the time. She can shoot the three, she rebounds, she’s a nice defender, and most important of all, she’s a great human being.”
Barreiro loves how O’Riordan, who had 25 points and 14 rebounds against Naperville Central and 29 points and 17 rebounds against Hononegah in back-to-back games in Dundee-Crown’s Komaromy Classic at the end of December, is meticulous about improving her fundamentals.
In the Chicagoland Invitational Showcase at Fremd on Dec. 2, O’Riordan recorded 27 points and 18 rebounds as the Fillies rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat Hampshire 51-37. O’Riordan made 11 of 21 shots in that game. She was effective even when she missed.
In a play that would please any coach, O’Riordan missed a 3-point shot but followed it to get the rebound, and she scored on a drive.
She later made a steal at midcourt and proceeded to sink a pull-up jumper.
“She’s an athlete,” Barreiro said. “She’s very versatile. She played volleyball this year. She’s just a quality kid. She’s all about team and getting her teammates looks and getting better.”
That mentality started at a young age. O’Riordan’s mother coached her during Barrington Park District basketball.
“She’s my inspiration,” O’Riordan said. “She pushed me to play at a young age, and I’m a coach’s kid. She was always really tough on me, so she definitely pushed me to be better.”
O’Riordan didn’t have to look far to find competition. Her father, Rob, played basketball at Hinsdale Central, and an older brother, Jack, plays volleyball at Ohio State.
O’Riordan has a twin brother, Danny, who is the drum major in Barrington’s marching band, and a younger brother who plays baseball.
“My family, we’ve always been super competitive in sports and stuff,” O’Riordan said. “That’s definitely where I get my competitiveness.”
Just how competitive O’Riordan can be in college is anyone’s guess. But she has garnered high praise from the coaches at Dayton, who see her as a stretch 4 — a power forward who can shoot from the perimeter.
“It’s kind of funny. On my initial visit, we did something called a chalk talk, and they compare you to pro athletes,” O’Riordan said. “So they compared me to Nikola Jokic, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, that’s a lot to live up to.’
“But I think they like that I have a 3-point shot. If I have a mismatch, I think I’ll be able to use it in the post.”
Barreiro said O’Riordan’s game will grow at the next level.
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“I think the potential is for Molly to keep getting better, especially in her post work,” Barreiro said. “They will develop her even more in the post, and she will become quicker, and all the things they do with you in college to make you a better player than we do in high school.”
For now, O’Riordan is focused on closing her high school career on a high note.
“In the beginning of the season, I struggled a bit because I’ve been a leader, but I’ve never been the person for people to rely on when they need the help,” she said.
“So it was a little struggle for me because I’m pretty hard on myself. Sometimes when it doesn’t go my way, I get in my head, and my frustration comes out. But I think I’ve definitely gotten better at embracing my role as a leader.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.