For the better part of the last decade, St. Mary's has owned Division 3 in MIAA girls basketball. But that's about to change.
The Spartans, winners of three state titles in the last four years, are moving up to Division 2. As one of the premier programs across the state in recent years, they'll be challenged to a new level by back-to-back champion Medfield and the rest of a stacked division. What changes does head coach Jeff Newhall make to his program?
"Nothing," he said. "Our approach, the way we play, the way we're going to approach every game, our league games, our nonleague games, the strength of our schedule, our hopes and aspirations at the end — nothing's changed."
Though the mission is the same in Division 2, the Spartans' team makeup has undergone significant changes since they hoisted a trophy in March. Here's what they're preparing for this winter.
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Moving on from Bella Owumi
Like many programs around MIAA, St. Mary's is affected by the increasing pull of NEPSAC on top talent. But for multiple reasons, Bella Owumi's departure for Tilton was a unique situation.
Owumi, our MIAA Defensive Player of the Year last season, was the best college prospect at an MIAA school in several years. She's the No. 30 player in the national Class of 2027 according to ESPN's rankings. And most notably, she's a neighbor and close family friend of Newhall, with the two having known each other for practically her entire life.
Transferring can often challenge the relationship of a player and their former high school coach. But Owumi and Newhall were able to work through the awkwardness. She and her family kept Newhall in a pretty consistent loop about her prep school considerations. He says the open line of communication throughout helped make the transfer digestible for both sides.
"The conversation has been ongoing for about three years, because when you have someone that's basically wanted by just about any team in the country, from Division 1 college down to Division 5 high school, obviously there's going to be interest," he said. "I was kind of updated; I knew what was going on the whole time, either through conversations I was having with coaches or that I was having with their parents, or that I was having with her. So there was no surprise."
The final decision still stung, but it didn't end Owumi's relationship with Newhall or St. Mary's. He says they're in contact roughly every 48 hours. Owumi still comes back to Lynn on weekends. She coached St. Mary's at the Wally Seaver Invitational and in offseason fall league play.
"We're still very much attached to Bella, and Bella's still very much attached to St Mary's," Newhall said. "We just have to figure out our path forward, and she's figuring out her path forward. No one will ever forget what what she did for us in the type of place she was at St Mary's, and quite frankly, what we did for her and what she did for us."
Now St. Mary's has to find a way to win without one of the region's most dominant two-way talents. Newhall compared her on-court impact to almost Michael Jordan-like, where when the Spartans struggled, they could give the ball to Owumi and count on her to make a play. He's intrigued by the potential of a more balanced offense this winter, but that'll also require more confidence from the returners.
"Getting everyone comfortable with scoring, as bizarre as that might sound — it's not a challenge, but it's something we're gonna have to work on," Newhall said.
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A pair of rising stars
Even with Owumi gone, the Spartans still possess one of the top talent pools in the state. St. Mary's leaned heavily on youth during last year's championship run, and now that youth has a year (or more) of meaningful varsity experience.
That's most apparent in freshman point guard Sysy Mcausland Emmanuel. She logged major minutes as an eighth-grader, playing through mistakes but flashing athleticism and playmaking potential off the dribble. Emmanuel is progressing quickly though and has already received Division 1 offers from Fairfield, Stonehill and Robert Morris.
"In the last 24 months, she's grown as a basketball-IQ person as much, if not more, than anybody I've seen over a two-year period," Newhall said. "She's going to have a significantly increased role. The ball is going to be in her hands quite a bit. We're going to expect her to play north of 28 minutes a game, and those are going to be adjustments. But I feel like physically, emotionally, mentally, she's prepared for it, and she's grown tremendously over the last three years."
Emmanuel follows a similar path to sophomore Charleigh Green. The versatile forward has spent the last two seasons playing notable rotation minutes and is special in her handle, pull-up scoring and 3-point shooting at her size. Like Emmanuel, Green has an offer from Stonehill, and she'll also be ticketed for a much larger role this winter.
"She needs to take that next step from playing 14 minutes a game to playing 28 minutes a game," Newhall said. "Turnovers when you're only playing limited time are OK, but if you're playing 30 minutes and you're turning the ball over, they're no longer OK. You going 2-for-4 is great coming off the bench and scoring seven points, but what's going to happen when you increase your shot load to 14, 15, 16? ... We need to see her grow in her role, and she can be a dynamic basketball player, and she's certainly important to everything we're doing."
Which other young talents step up?
St. Mary's isn't just moving on from Owumi. The Spartans graduated longtime reliable center Reese Matela and sharpshooter Juliana Conte. Steady point guard Lily Norton also reclassified and joined Owumi at Tilton. That's several of the program's most consistent decision-makers and defenders out the door.
But there are promising signs. St. Mary's won its bracket at the Wally Seaver Invitational in July, including beating Bishop Fenwick and its two Division 1-bound seniors. Though Newhall couldn't coach himself, he watched as many of the underclassmen who earned playing time in spots last winter stepped up to the level of summer competition.
"We played better than I had anticipated, and maybe it's just because we hadn't played since we played Norwell at Tsongas," he said. "And there's been some transition during that time. You just assume or think one thing, and you go watch and you just see something totally different. I'm not suggesting that's going to be the case for 22 straight games this winter, but we went out against some pretty good competition ... and there were times during that, the majority of the time, in which we had five kids on the floor that are all freshmen in high school."
Beyond Emmanuel and Green, there's sophomore Gabi Lorenzini, an athletic guard who's shown a sweet touch behind the 3-point arc and a high motor on the boards. Jaylin Frye was one of the Wally Seaver Invitational's breakout names as a versatile freshman wing. Small, tough-nosed point guard Janae Holmes earned minutes for her defense last year. And the Spartans do have an experienced senior wing back in starter Jillian Roberts.
Newhall anticipates this season to contain its share of growing pains. But he knows opponents won't have much sympathy for St. Mary's and expects his young talent to adapt to the new challenges in Division 2.
"Our kids know what's expected of them within our program. They know what's coming at them from opposing programs," he said. "We gotta come out flying as if we're chasing something we've never chased before, because, if we sit around and feel bad for ourselves because nobody feels bad for us, then you know it can get (challenging). Our schedule is very difficult, and that's the way it should be."
