ON THE RISE: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Shelby Ruf flies in for a layup in a game this winter. Senior forward and co-captain Ruf helped PDS enjoy a reversal of fortune this winter under first-year head coach Pat Reddington as it went 13-10 after going 3-16 in 2023-24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Displaying the progress it made over the course of the winter, the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team ended the regular season with a pair of impressive wins as it topped Stuart Country Day and Delran.

“Those were really good games because we had really, really strong fourth quarters in both of those games,” said PDS first year head coach Pat Reddington, whose team defeated Stuart 51-38 on February 18 and Delran 61-42 four days later. “We had two 26-point fourth quarters; we had games where we finished with 26 points. It was good, our press helped us. Our defense led to offense for us. It was very positive.”

The Panthers ended their season by scoring 26 in their finale as 14th-seeded PDS fell 72-26 to third-seeded Red Bank Catholic on February 28 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public A tournament.

“It was nice to play against that level of player, our girls enjoyed it,” said Reddington. “We went in and our goal was just to compete as much as we can and not give up. I think we did a good job of doing that.”

With the Panthers ending this winter at 13-10 after having posted a 3-16 record in 2023-24, the program made huge strides on and off the court.

“What is the most exciting thing about the season is developing a culture for going forward,” said Reddington. “As far as the basketball side of things, it is being a hard-nosed team that is going to compete and defend, a team you don’t want to play against. On the school side of it, PDS girls’ basketball is going to be a competitive program going forward, showing that this is a basketball school.”

The squad’s two senior stars and co-captains, Shelby Ruf (86 points and 89 rebounds in 2024-25) and Nandini Kolli (157 points, 157 rebounds), set a positive tone.

“I couldn’t have been in a better situation than having those two as seniors,” asserted Reddington. “They were the reason for everything this year in my opinion. They really, really bought in which made everybody else buy in. It makes it a lot easier for the younger ones when your leaders are fully invested.”

The Panthers boast a core of juniors who bought in as well in Nica Martin (186 points, 60 assists), Sophia Rae Barber (164 points, 20 rebounds), Ella McLaren (88 points, 52 rebounds), Julia Hartman (72 points, 49 rebounds), and Anya Gruteser (1 point, 10 rebounds).

“I think we return a great group, we have five juniors that are going to be seniors,” said Reddington. “I am very excited about having a more experienced group next year to add with some good young players coming in too.”

In the backcourt, Martin and Barber developed into a productive one-two punch.

“I thought Nica got more comfortable when we were able to get her off the ball a little bit and see her as a more off the ball threat,” said Reddington. “She got confident in her shooting. Sophia started out really hot with her shooting and then she had some tough games and fought out of it. What is important for me with those two girls because we know they can shoot is the ability to impact the game in other ways that they showed toward the end of the season.”

Soccer stars McLaren and Hartman made a major impact with their intensity and toughness.

“They are big-time athletes,” said Reddington. “Any time you add two girls that are extremely athletic, it changes your team. Those two girls are game-changers. You notice them right away when they come on the floor.”

Reddington, who had previously been an assistant coach for the powerhouse Ewing High girls’ hoops team, enjoyed his first season at the helm of the PDS program.

“I really can’t put out any complaints,” said Reddington. “It was awesome, I got a lot of support from the administration and the faculty which is extremely important to me. It was definitely a different experience head coaching for high school. I learned a lot from this group. We are going to continue to grow going forward.”

The squad’s growth into a winner this season turned heads around PDS and the county.

“There was a lot of talk throughout the school about the program and how they are doing and a lot of talk throughout the CVC (Colonial Valley Conference),” said Reddington. “I think we were a team that people might have had this year on their schedule thinking it was an automatic win. I don’t know that they will have those same feelings next year.”

Looking to build on this winter’s success, the PDS players are already preparing for next year.

“We are excited, we had an undefeated middle school team and we have eighth graders playing AAU for the first time,” said Reddington. “I am definitely excited about what we have coming next year. The girls are starting to work on some offseason training of their own.”