Abington's O'Leary Commits to Play Basketball at Delaware

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, Abington senior Lizzie O’Leary was recognized for committing to continue her basketball career at the University of Delaware. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/110916_-_signings_-_mjs

Lizzie O’Leary – University of Delaware (Basketball)

Major: Business

Final list of colleges:  Delaware, Bucknell, Drexel, Richmond

Reasons for choosing Delaware:  “Right from the get go, I just felt it the first time I went there. It was such a nice connection. The campus was so nice. It was exactly what I want. It’s not a city, but it’s close enough where I can go to three different cities, so I can get the best of both worlds. I can have the suburbs and relax, but if I want to go and enjoy the city, I can do that.”

What was the progression that led you to playing basketball at the collegiate level?  “I remember getting my first recruiting letter from a Division One school in eighth grade. It was kind of – ‘Okay, they’re just sending letters,’ but as I got older and they wanted me to come visit, I think my sophomore year was really the year I was like, ‘This is going to happen. I’m going to get somewhere and play basketball.’”

Coach Dan Marsh says:  “I think the one important thing for people to understand about Lizzie – there’s no doubt that she could come into our league and average 25 points a game, but she’s not that kind of player. She wants to pass first, she wants to make her teammates better, and she also knows if she goes in there and scores 25 points a game we’re not going to win as many games, so she knows she has to sacrifice maybe some individual accolades. I think she should have been all-state last year, but she wasn’t. She averages 14-15 points a game because she wants her teammates to be better, she wants her teammates to be involved. She’s almost unselfish to a fault. It’s just a testament of her character and of how great of a kid she is and how she cares about other people.
“It’s awesome that the young lady who spoke today (Abington alum Amy Sullivan) talked about the way she was successful at lacrosse was by making other people better. I think that’s a fair description of Lizzie. She blocks shots, she rebounds, she does all the little dirty work things that people don’t necessarily notice. Of course, she’ll score her points when you need her to. If you need a big bucket, you can go to Lizzie. If you need a free throw at the end, you can go to Lizzie. If teams press us, we can actually go to Lizzie because she can handle the ball. We had an open gym the other day, and one kid wasn’t running very hard. Lizzie called her out and said, ‘We need to work hard in order to be successful.’ That’s the kind of kid she is. She wants everybody to be successful, and she wants to win.”

About Lizzie:
Favorite food:  
“A good steak”
Favorite movies:  Breakfast Club & Titanic
Favorite music:  Alternative

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