Rancocas Valley adjusting to sudden loss of top player Katie McShea
The first practice without Katie McShea was a bit awkward. And there were even, coach Anthony Corrado said, a few tears.
The first practice without Katie McShea was a bit awkward.
And there were even, coach Anthony Corrado said, a few tears.
But there was also opportunity.
That's what Corrado and his Rancocas Valley girls' basketball team tried to focus on while in the midst of one of the most unusual situations in recent South Jersey girls' basketball history.
On Friday, Katie McShea - RV's leading scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game - announced that was she leaving the team and transferring to Bishop Eustace.
McShea's reasons for transferring remained undisclosed to the media.
And, really, Corrado said, those reasons are not worth focusing on at the moment.
The transfer leaves a major void for a team that is No. 2 in the Inquirer's South Jersey girls' basketball Top 10.
But the Red Devils think it's a challenge they can overcome.
McShea's final game with RV was Tuesday in a win over Delran. The team went on to beat a tough Cinnaminson team, 56-39, on Thursday without McShea.
"I spoke to Jeremiah Trotter, and I'll give him credit for the quote," Corrado said of the former Eagles linebacker whose daughter, Tremil, plays for RV. "He said that Jim Johnson used to tell him, 'One person can't sink a ship.'
"And I told that to the team and I think it really hit home. I saw them play with energy and enthusiasm, I saw them working hard - sticking together as a team."
McShea, a 5-foot-10 junior forward, was the thunder that complemented the lightning produced by RV's shifty guards.
Her departure means RV will feature a more up-tempo style. The Red Devils will push the ball more, and they'll also look for other frontcourt players to take on increased roles, including Brianna Boyd, who is averaging 9.2 points per game.
"I think the girls can rally around each other," Corrado said. "We'll run more than we did before. We'll press more than we did before.
"And we'll try and create opportunities for other players to be successful - this just opens up opportunities for other kids."
Bishop Eustace confirmed the transfer, noting that McShea will have to sit 30 days because of the NJSIAA transfer rule, making her ineligible until the last week of the regular season.
There is a chance that McShea's first game back will be against Rancocas Valley.
Both teams are participating in the annual South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament.
If both teams advance to the final four and lose (the tournament is in the round of eight) they will meet in a consolation game in what would likely be McShea's first game back.
While the game would hold intrigue around the area, Corrado doesn't expect there to be bad blood on the court.
He said he and his team wish McShea the best.
Many of the players had been on the same team with McShea since before high school.
The players are still friends, still linked by basketball.
In the end, they said, that's most important.
"The emotions come from just losing the kid - she was a nice kid, a hard worker and she was with the program for three years," Corrado said. "That part hurts more than the basketball. The basketball part, we can take care of.
"We'll just move on and try to adjust."