It's not easy for a high school freshman to step onto a varsity team and make an impact.
But that's exactly what happened this season to the Cranford girls' basketball team, with three talented ninth-grade student-athletes surviving the proving ground at the highest level. Jessica McCoy, Kaitlin McGovern and Jenna Goeller proved they had the skill set to make the grade.
Head coach Jackie Huber knew she had potential from the very first day.
"The jump from middle school basketball to high school varsity is a huge one," said Huber. "Sometimes it is very difficult for players to adjust and transition into a higher, fast-paced style of play. This years' freshmen have proven to be out of the ordinary. From day one they came in ready to meet any challenge that would come their way. You wouldn't know they were freshmen by their play, unless you asked."
"I was real excited I made varsity," said McGovern. "I didn't expect to when I first came in. When I got on the team I was really excited. I didn't think I was going to be that big a part. I thought it would be more like sitting on the bench, but I actually got to help out a lot as the season went on."
"It was exciting," said Jenna Goeller. "I guess I expected to make varsity because I put a lot of time and effort in the off-season. To be a part of the team and play in this atmosphere, I think it was a lot of fun."
What's even more difficult, and impressive, is for a newcomer to crack the starting lineup. That was the case for McCoy, who stepped in and not only made an impact right away, but scored 17 points against Carteret in the state tournament.
"Jess played a huge role as part of our starting line up this year," Huber said. "She is extremely athletic and a hard worker. She has led our team in more then one game in scoring and has proven that she is one of the top freshmen in the county. You are going to see a lot of great things to come from her in the next couple of years."
"At first it's kind of nervewracking, you don't want to mess up, you don't want to throw the ball away" said McCoy. "But you get used to it, you step up. You want to be there, so you just do what you have to do."
The trio blended in with the upperclassmen early on, allowing the up-and-comers to concentrate on basketball as opposed to worrying about fitting in.
"Right away, they were really welcoming," said McGovern of seniors Jamie Webb, Danielle Gross and Taylor D'Antico. "They were really nice form the start. For the first scrimmage, none of the seniors were able to play because they didn't have enough practices, so all the freshmen just kind of jumped in right away. We were playing the whole game. I jumped in really fast. I was really nervous for the first time, but I scored a couple of baskets and I realized I could play with them so it got a lot easier."
"Kaitlin really came into her own towards the middle of the year," Huber said. "She plays great defense and is able to back tap rebounds, something you can't teach. She is going to be a real threat underneath the basket because she has great hard-to-defend post moves."
Along with head coach Jackie Huber's constant encouragement and teaching, it was the senior leadership that set the tone for team chemistry.
How else do you explain a team with just three seniors, not only winning 21 games, but capturing a state sectional title?
"I started playing against tougher teams, like Roselle Catholic," said McGovern. "I started going in against tougher teams and saw they actually needed me a little bit so that was exciting."
As for Goeller, she understood the education that was involved.
"The seniors were really helpful because they had a lot of experience, so they made sure you weren't nervous before games and you knew what to expect from certain teams," said Goeller. "I think I learned a lot, different plays, different ways to beat teams. Everyone had so much more experience than I did, Take Roselle Catholic for example, they knew so much more about (Allison) Skrec, you just learn so much more about individual players, like how to beat someone."
"Jenna was a spark for us on defense, said Huber. "She brought energy to the floor. She is a very unselfish player who often looked to get the ball to her teammates, rather then taking the shot herself."
One thing they had in their corner was the experience of playing together before high school.
"It was a really good year to come in because we had lost a lot of seniors," said Goeller. "There were more opportunities. Plus, Jess, me and Kaitlyn played on the same team (AAU) and that really helped. We had good chemistry together. That will be helpful next year."
And while they are all looking forward taking on bigger roles in the future, their freshmen success hasn't been lost in all the excitement.
"It was a really good season," McGovern said. "I don't think anyone expected us to get this far because we were so young and because we lost a lot of people. Beating Roselle Catholic and going so far in the states we went above everyone's expectations of us. It was really good to start off like that."
"I think we were determined, we wanted to prove everyone wrong," Goeller said. "We really trust each other, we really bonded as a team. If you saw us off the court, we were really friendly with one another, so the fact we knew that off the court we could still have fun together, why not on the court too."
With the return of sophomore standout Morgan Miller and junior Sara Gallucci, the Lady Cougars will again be a major force in Union County as well as the state tournament in the years to come.
"It's really thrilling. I'm proud of the entire team, we worked really hard to come this far," McCoy said.
"I am excited about the years to come with these girls," said Huber. "They are hard workers and will meet any challenge thrown their way. We are graduating three big leaders this year who have set the tone and were a great example for the younger girls in showing what hard work and dedication will get you."
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