Springfield's McAllister earns Eagle Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year

Upon her arrival to the Springfield girls basketball team as a freshman, it didn’t take long for many to realize Chelsea McAllister was going to be a special player.
Related story:
Girls Basketball Season Review & All-Eagle Team


http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/springfields-mcallister-earns-eagle-times-girls-basketball-player-of-the-year/1328107

Springfield's McAllister earns Eagle Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year By Jason Orfao | Apr 04, 2015 Photo by: File Springfield senior Chelsea McAllister attacks the hoop moments before breaking the Cosmos' all-time scoring record during a win over Windsor. Upon her arrival to the Springfield girls basketball team as a freshman, it didn’t take long for many to realize Chelsea McAllister was going to be a special player. Four years later, her impact is evidenced by Springfield’s rewritten record book. McAllister broke the career scoring record for girls basketball early in the season and became Springfield’s all-time leading scorer — regardless of gender — during a late-season win over Windsor and she finished her tremendous career with 1,638 points. She was far from a one-trick pony, though. McAllister averaged 23.7 points, 7.7 steals, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during her senior season, led the Cosmos to an 11-9 record in the regular season and their first playoff win since 2011. For her efforts, McAllister has been named Eagle Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year. “Players like Chelsea come around probably every 20 years,” said Springfield coach Joe Brown. “I’m happy that I got to coach her and we’ll miss her.” Although her physical skills were apparent, McAllister’s understanding of the game made her a more dangerous player. “She just brought another coach onto the court,” Brown explained. “Her basketball IQ is very high and she can do so much offensively and defensively.” McAllister finished her Springfield career with 617 rebounds, 524 steals, 235 assists, 133 blocks and 110 3-pointers — setting career-highs in every category during her senior season with the exception of rebounds. She was a prolific scorer from the start, averaging 16.3 points per game as a freshman and opposing coaches took notice, often sticking a top defender — if not two or three — on her in attempt to slow the production, but an increased ability to work with teammates over the years made her an even more lethal all-around player. Her 73 assists in 2014-15 marked a career high, compared to 46 as a freshman. “She’s been used to it since her sophomore year,” said Brown of the extra defensive attention. “She’s really matured over the course of the three years. She understands what she has to do individually and what she has to do to get her teammates involved.” Not only was she the focal point of defensive game plans, but she rarely received a breather due to limited depth on the Springfield squad. “Having such a small team, she would play the whole game,” said Brown. “Not having a break at all shows what kind of competitor and how tough she is.” With opposing defenses often collapsing on her, McAllister learned to become more assertive and she put time in at the free-throw stripe to ensure she would cash in if she’s fouled. Her free-throw percentage has steadily increased over the years — jumping from 64 percent as a freshman to 68 as a sophomore, to 70 as a junior, before knocking down 76 percent of her foul shots this season. The constant climb is a reflection of her work ethic in the practice gym. “Being out there and having to create and having to deal with double teams, she’s had to be a lot more aggressive offensively and being able to finish at the free throw line is big,” said Brown. “In every category, she’s gotten better and better. “Her maturity, too,” he added. “I think she was a lot more of a team player this year. She kept the group together.”107