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Rye High School Athletes to Remember

Coner Smith, Lillian McCabe, and Catharine Greer

By Rich MonettiPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Photo by Chip Griffin 

Coner Smith Does his Part, in Run to Empire State Game Gold

The Hudson Valley Empire State Boys Basketball team couldn’t have dreamt up a worse scenario to end the first half of their gold medal game. With .5 seconds on the clock, Central inbounded an ally-oop to send Hudson Valley into the locker room down 17 points. “It was one of those moments,” said Rye senior and Hudson Valley forward, Coner Smith. But he credits Coach Bill Thom with shifting the momentum back, with a few choice halftime words.

Tomorrow the paper is going to say Hudson Valley stormed back from a 17 point deficit to take the gold, Coner relayed the moment.

Inspired, they came out and put good use to the physical style of tough defense that Coach Thom drilled into them. “We just hung in there and slowly came back, until we took the lead at the end,” Conor said of the 89 to 85 win.

This was not really a coincidence, with the manner in which the team was put together. In other words, there was some surprise with certain players left off the roster, said Coner.

"The coach was looking for the type of guys willing to do the little things, rather than those just wanting to be stars."

And Conner had no problem buying into the philosophy at game time.

“I could have tried to score a little more,” he said. “But we had other guys who could do that, so I concentrated on rebounding and defense."

A gold medal to show for it, Conor is sure of the final score.

“We won—that’s the important thing,” he concluded.

Rye Empire State Games Gold Medal Winner

Rye High School's Lillian McCabe has been playing basketball since she was eight, and working hard at hoops comes with a payoff she cannot deny. Typically taking a hundred 3's a day, she says hitting just one at crunch time is so rewarding. But playing the point this past August, at the Empire State Games is nothing to pass on either.

Part of the gold medal winning Hudson Valley team of 10, she can post up and pass the ball. Nonetheless, she said, "I'm a shooter.”

As for defense, she admits the need for improvement. “I'm working on it and getting better,” said Lillian.

Regardless, all star teams, such as these, often succumb to a lack of team chemistry with an overabundance of star power. Knocking off their four opponents by an average of 50 points, that was not the case for the Hudson Valley team.

"We worked well together, looked for the best shot and played as a team," Lillian asserted.

A sentiment that another pretty accomplished basketball player recently missed the mark on.

"I'm furious about Lebron James," said the lifelong Knick fan, "because he took the easy way out."

That would be his loss, but she certainly doesn't let the lessons learned on the court go to waste. Aside from the hard work translating to any other aspect of life, she understands that setbacks shouldn't keep you from getting up off the parquet.

"You forget about it, come back and get them the next time," she asserted.

Heading to Davidson College in North Carolina next September, on a Division I full scholarship, it seems Lebron won't be the only one who will be turning up the "Heat" on a southern basketball court this fall.

Con Ed Winner for Rye Team that has Won 45 in a Row

Rye senior, Catharine Greer, was recently named Con Ed athlete of the week, and sat for a radio interview with Bob Wolf.

A little nervous, she said, “I paused a lot.”

But hesitation is definitely not part of the role she has played on a soccer team that has won 45 straight games.

A good view of the field, strong relationships with teammates, and the ability to keep everyone’s head in the game are among the characteristics she’s honed as one of Rye’s key defenders.

"Soccer has taught me to be a team player and a strong leader who never gives up," Greer said.

On the other hand, knowing when to quit—so to speak—is a lesson that she had a little help learning. Stuck between soccer and basketball, her father helped redirect her focus with a look.

“He could tell in my eyes that it was my favorite sport so I followed what he told me,” she said.

Of course, she’ll be up to throwing down the rock again this winter for the varsity, and takes pride in being a scrappy role player. But father turned out to know best in this department. Putting aside the streak, the Con Ed Award and State Championship, she has the opportunity to put her soccer talents to use at the next level.

"I was offered scholarship money to play division one soccer at several schools," Catherine revealed.

But her head on straight, she understands the order that sports and school come in.

“The academics come first,” she said.

So Greer hopes to lace up the books at Columbia, NYU, or Tufts in pursuit of a career in marine biology.

She’s not so bad at knowing best either.

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Rich Monetti

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