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03/29/2018 12:00 AMNellie LaMay loves the challenge that comes with improving her skill set on the basketball court. Nellie’s commitment to playing her best was certainly evident when she earned a spot in the starting lineup with the Old Saybrook girls’ basketball squad this winter.
Nellie fell in love with basketball by watching the game on television and shooting hoops in her front yard. After she joined Old Saybrook, Nellie played point guard during her tenure with the JV team. This year, Nellie stepped into the varsity starting lineup as the Rams’ shooting guard and proved a solid all-around contributor by averaging five points, two assists, and two steals per game.
“I love the competitiveness and fast pace of the game. I also like that it requires a lot of skills, and you have to work hard at it to be good,” says Nellie. “The past few years in JV, I had to play point guard, and it worked for me switching to shooting guard. I didn’t have to make as many crucial decisions as the point guard, and I could find my shot and focus on other parts of the game.”
Old Saybrook Head Coach Steve Woods says that Nellie’s contributions on the floor go beyond any numbers on the stat sheet. Woods describes Nellie as a player who was always ready to lay it on the line for her teammates, while displaying a sharp shot and a steady handle on the rock.
“Nellie played almost every second of every game and was fearless in the process,” Woods says. “She had played the point guard spot at younger levels, but really found her niche at the [shooting guard] position due to her shooting ability, ball-handling skill, and her penchant for rarely turning the ball over with her exceptional court vision and savvy...She has always demonstrated an incredible level of commitment and desire, and her love of the game does not get lost on her teammates. Nellie is nearly always the first in the gym and the last to leave.”
Nellie never relented on the court, because she’s well-versed in how the game of basketball works. In a sport that features so much back-and-forth action, Nellie refused to let a single mistake lead to any sort of downfall.
“I’m fearless out there, because of the fact that basketball is a game of so many possessions. You have so many chances to make up mistakes and learn from them,” she says. “I realize that no mistake is permanent. As a freshman and sophomore, I used to get frustrated easily when I made turnovers, but even if you do make a mistake, you can bounce back.”
Nellie also played soccer for Old Saybrook, and her participation in that sport helped increase her stamina for basketball. No matter what season she’s competing in, Nellie is always on the run.
“I have strong endurance, because I’ve played soccer, and it carried over since you need endurance for running in soccer. In the preseason for basketball, I tried to work my hardest in sprints, because I know I’ll be better in the long run,” says Nellie. “I’ve done even more training this past offseason with camps and just kept trying to put more work into it.
As she looks back at a productive four-year career with Old Saybrook girls’ hoops, Nellie says that she will miss playing for the Rams. However, the bonds that Nellie developed with both her teammates and mentors will live inside her forever.
“I’ve had some really good memories all four years with this team. I made good relationships with friends and coaches,” says Nellie, who thanks her mother Callie, sister Ruthie, and all of her coaches. “The sport made me stronger mentally and physically, and it was a season that I always looked forward to.”