RICH EXPERIENCE: Stuart Country Day School basketball player Lauren Richey looks to pass the ball in a game this season. Senior guard Richey’s sharpshooting on the perimeter helped Stuart go 8-8 this winter and advance to the state Prep B semis. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though the Stuart Country Day School basketball team featured a lineup with a number of new faces this winter, the squad developed a special chemistry.

“They got better during the course of the season,” said Stuart head coach Justin Leith, whose team posted a final record of 8-8 this winter and advanced to the state Prep B semis.

“They played with some grit. They had a lot of fun, they enjoyed each other off the court.”

Leith saw a shining example of how much his players enjoyed each other before a late season game.

“Right before Senior Day, I walked in and they were doing TikTok videos together and having fun,” said Leith. “I was fortunate enough to play professionally and fortunate enough to play in college and high school and I don’t remember one time up and down the court. What I do remember is the locker room and the bus rides. Watching them, they took advantage of that almost as if they had some foresight in understanding that they are going to make the most of the moment. I appreciate that about that team and I thanked them for that.”

Senior guard Gabby Velazquez took advantage of opportunity in her final season with the program.

“For the three years prior, she was playing at an extremely high level and for two of those years she was actually a contributor,” said Leith of Velazquez who ended her career with a bang, scoring 26 points with 11 assists and eight steals to help Stuart defeat the Academy for Urban Leadership Charter 75-18 in its season finale.

“She was a part of that team so she has seen all of the best players in the country and has played against them. For her to be a leader and put up numbers on a team that is not as strong, I expect that. She was a transfer from Trenton High and has flourished at Stuart. She is just a wonderful member of the overall community and a ray of sunshine on the basketball team for sure. I am so happy that she got to experience Stuart and Stuart got to experience her.”

Another senior guard, Lauren Richey, flourished from the perimeter this season, leading the team with 33 3-pointers.

“Lauren is one of those human beings where she could not shoot a basketball for 20 years and she could go in there and hit 10 3s in a row,” said Leith. “I never had that. She is just one of those special people who has a knack for shooting. On top of that, she put the time in. She hit a lot of big shots for us this year and scored a good amount of points.”

Putting in time over the years, seniors Selena Liu and Angela Circelli made strides.

“We had Aleah [James] who is at LIU right now and who got better every year and Selena takes her spot as far as improvement over her career,” said Leith. “She is going between the legs and behind the back, all different moves in practice. I don’t think she had ever touched a basketball before starting at Stuart. We were putting her in games because she understood what to do. It was tremendous, I am so happy for her. Angie has improved as well. She has always had a knack for the game. I think that she had a real positive career.”

While senior guard Lauren Klein was sidelined this winter due to a leg injury, she still had an impact on the squad.

“Lauren was at every game and was at every practice unless she had rehab,” said Leith, noting that Klein will be playing at Susquehanna University next year.  “She knows the game very well and has played with some high level teams. We had some kids who were green and she would encourage and teach on the sidelines. If a kid didn’t understand a drill, she pulled them aside because she had got her reps in. She was great.”

Over the winter, sophomore guard Leila Washington made great progress.

“Leila had a new role as a leader on the team,” said Leith of Washington, who led the Tartans in scoring (201 points), rebounds (87), and assists (48).

“I think there was some apprehension at first but she grew into that role. She even expanded in that role halfway through the season and really made it her own. The expectations is that she will get better over the offseason. She is already doing spring workouts and will start up again in the fall. I think that she has a very bright future at Stuart and beyond.”

Leith has high expectations for junior Emily Ix and sophomore Isabel Milley after they stepped into bigger roles this season.

“They were both starters and high level contributors, they certainly stepped up and got better every game,” said Leith. “They are a joy to coach, Emily doesn’t stop cheering for her teammates whether she is in the game or not. She is the president of this club and the president of that. She is going to be really good in lacrosse. Isabel was probably our fastest player for sure. There are plenty of games where she didn’t come off the floor because she doesn’t get tired. There was a learning curve particularly for some things on the defensive end but she picked up things extremely fast.”

Two freshmen, Rachael Emil-Ashun and Anna-Rose Bourgin, also picked up things quickly this year.

“Rachael is similar to Selena, I don’t think she had ever played basketball before,” said Leith.

“We were able to get her into some games and she knew what to do. I have been coaching Anna Rose since she was 10 years old at camps and things. She is great, she gets better every year and has an awesome attitude. She is a joy to be around too.”

Looking ahead, Leith sees the team getting better and better.

“We have five returning players and we will have some people coming in,” said Leith. “We have a very solid nucleus coming back of players who understand the program. For anyone else that comes in, it is always great to have a group that understands expectation.”