Although the Oak Park and River Forest High School girls basketball team has an 11-15 record, the future appears promising on a couple of levels. In the short term, the team is relatively healthy (after an injury-riddled 2013-14 campaign) and also a viable dark horse in the upcoming state playoffs. Another longer range reason for optimism is the Huskies’ talented core of underclassmen.
Sophomore guards Chardonnay Harris and Molly Cullinane, sophomore center Blair Ripley and freshman guard Maeve Nelson represent the future of OPRF hoops. Effective post player Maria Kent and sharp-shooting Katie Mullins also return next season.
“Maeve is a coach’s dream,” OPRF coach J.P. Coughlin said. “She is probably the best female athlete this school has seen in a couple decades. Ripley has been staying after practice and working really hard to expand her game. Cullinane is so much fun and really wants to compete. Chardonnay is such a wonderful kid and always works hard.
“We might be a low seed in the playoffs, but we’ll give any team some trouble. We owe it to our seniors to finish off strong.”
The transition to varsity basketball for the underclassmen has been aided by the support of several supportive seniors like Hailey Hoye, Emily Schreck, Victoria Waters and Callie Shelton.
“We have really helpful seniors,” Harris said. “When I was a freshman last season, they were very welcoming and gave me tips to help my game. They’ve continued that this year and we’re all doing really well together. Maeve, Molly, Maria and Katie all played travel basketball together, so I’m really confident with those girls as well.”
As a high profile freshman, Nelson has fit in seamlessly with her teammates.
“I’ve really gotten to know everyone and they’ve all been really nice,” Nelson said. “The seniors go out of their way to be nice to us which is really cool. Overall, the chemistry has been very good.”
Collectively, the Huskies’ younger players offer Coughlin plenty of options on the court. Ripley is a capable scorer in the post with considerable upside on both ends of the floor. Harris is an excellent athlete who can play multiple positions, while Nelson is a big guard with excellent passing and scoring ability. Cullinane is solid point guard with a good feel for the game.
“This team plays hard,” Coughlin said. “We haven’t gotten enough wins to really show how hard they work and how much effort they really put in. We have a young team. Our sophomores and Maeve are tremendous kids who always listen and do what you want them to do.”
Nelson and Harris are multi-sport athletes, who will play softball in the spring. Nelson has already committed to play college softball at Northwestern, while Harris gave a verbal commitment to Auburn.
For both burgeoning stars, managing their time is essential to success on the court and in the classroom.
“I get pretty used to it,” Nelson said about her busy schedule. “I have practice after school then do homework. It’s easy to make it a routine and keep up. After my schoolwork, sports have just always been the main focus for me.”
In terms of hoops, Harris believes teamwork is the key for the Huskies.
“We just need to work together,” Harris said. “If we do that, we can connect better and know who’s going to be doing what on the court. When we work together, we do really well.”
OPRF (11-15, 2-6 West Suburban Silver) takes on Glenbard West today in Glen Ellyn before returning for a home game against Lyons Township on Friday (Feb. 6). Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
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