Ally Mangogna has a shoebox filled with treasured memories of her high school basketball career.
“It has all my favorite memories of basketball throughout the four years,” the Council Rock North senior said. “There are so many articles that say ‘Council Rock North Beats…’ I love it. It’s so much fun to be part of this.”
There’s nothing particularly unusual about any of that. Until you take into consideration that Mangogna is a senior reserve whose main role on the team is playing for the scout team – or as coach Lou Palkovics calls it – the ‘white team.’
Mangogna’s name won’t be found in any headlines, and it might not be found in many boxscores over the years, but that is secondary to the senior reserve.
“I’m telling you – it’s like a family,” she said. “Today we had a pasta party. People are playing piano, we’re all stuffing our faces with carbs, we’re making t-shirts, and it’s just a lot of fun - not even the fact that we’re undefeated but just the fact that we get to be together.
“It’s such a special and diverse group of girls. It’s really fun.”
If it sounds as though Mangogna recognizes the true beauty of high school sports, she does, and so do her teammates on the ‘white team.’
Mangogna and fellow seniors Melissa Moller and Alyssa Jett as well as juniors Lauren Jirele and Melissa Rowland comprise the ‘white team.’ They are the Indians most people don’t know about.
Except, that is, the people that matter most.
“These five girls come to practice every day,” Palkovics said. “They never miss a practice. They give 110 percent.
“They’re smart kids. We do a lot of walk-throughs of the other team’s offense and defense, and they pick it up so quickly. It really helps the blue team get ready for the games.”
The ‘blue team’ includes all of Rock North’s big-name players, the regulars who live in the spotlight. The Devin Golds, the Lauren Golds, the Emily Grundmans.
The white team’s job is to make those players better.
“My white team – once the game starts – is pretty much responsible for getting to know the other team’s offense, getting to know the other team’s tendencies, whether it be as a team or as an individual,” Palkovics said. “They basically take on the role of that other team the day before every game.
“I have three seniors who have taken over the leadership role on the team, really practice hard and are just great kids.”
Those three seniors – Mangogna, Moller and Jett – have been part of the program since they were freshmen.
“They are great kids,” said Palkovics. “They come with such a positive attitude and play so hard.
“A program cannot be successful until it has kids like those three seniors. I love the way they approach the game.”
What’s not to like about players who – despite other commitments – willingly sacrifice their time even though they know they might not set foot on the court during the game.
“I feel completely honored to be part of this team,” Moller said. “Although I may not get to play in the games a lot, I enjoy being on the bench with some of my best friends and cheering on my other best friends on the court.
“It’s really kind of special. We’re not just jayvee and varsity. We’re not just a team. We’re a family. We’re always together. We always make the effort to make t-shirts, to do pasta parties or special bonding things.”
Jett and Mangogna also are part of Rock North’s elite Symphonic Choir, which also includes a major time commitment.
“It’s a struggle because practices, rehearsals and concert dates, of course, always have to conflict,” Mangogna said. “But my first and only commitment is to my basketball team.
“Sometimes it affects our grade if we’re late or we have to miss rehearsal, but it’s always basketball that counts in the long run.”
Jett acknowledged that it can be demanding trying to juggle choir and basketball, but giving up basketball was never a consideration.
“I just love playing basketball,” she said. “I love the girls that I play with. I love everything about it.
“There’s nothing I would say I don’t really like. It’s one of those things that if I didn’t love it, I would stop playing. It’s fun.”
It’s fun because the players understand their roles and also understand their value to the team.
“It’s one of those things – we don’t start, but we know we help (our starters) prepare for the game,” Jett said. “If we’re not doing our job, they won’t be prepared.
“It’s just so cool to know we all contribute, whether it’s on the court or off the court. We all have that bond that we’re striving for bigger things and hoping to go all the way, and we’re doing it together.”
“We always play 100 percent because if we play 50 percent, the girls aren’t getting what they need,” added Mangogna. “When we go 100 percent, they go 10 times better, and they can perform 10 times better in a game.
“If it wasn’t for the white team, I don’t know how the main girls could practice.”
The role of the white team is not as easy as it might sound. It involves learning – and being able to execute – the plays of Rock North’s opponents.
“It’s certainly different than being part of the blue team, but it’s neat because we help the varsity team get to know the other team’s plays and how to play them” Moller said. “We don’t necessarily focus on our plays all the time, which becomes difficult, but we learn them too, so we come together and we play well together.
“It’s a special bond, and it’s kind of neat.”
How well does the white team know their opponent’s plays?
“I don’t know about the other girls, but I have been on the scout team for a long time, and I know some of the plays for the other schools better than I know the plays for our team just because they have been drilled – those are the main plays and we run them over and over,” Jett said. “We all sit on the bench and we’re like, ‘Oh, I remember running that play. I know what they’re going to do.’”
“You’re sitting on the bench, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I know what they’re going to do next,’” Moller echoed. “You know what cut is coming. You almost want to yell out what they’re going to do next because you know it.”
And so do the Rock North players on the court, thanks to the efforts of the white team.
“I have a special group this year that really works hard at that,” Palkovics said. “My three seniors have just been really committed to the program. They have never complained, have never whined.
“They have injuries, they still come to practice. They’re sick, they still come to practice. These seniors have paid their dues. I could probably count on one hand the number of practices the three of them have missed in four years.”
When the Indians were shorthanded in a huge early-season showdown against Abington, Jett gave the team valuable minutes off the bench, contributing three points in the Indians’ big win.
“As a coach, I try to get them time whenever I can because they’re just great kids, and they’re so committed, but in the tougher games, sometimes it’s tough to do,” Palkovics said. “They know their roles..
“Sometimes people are like, ‘You better not keep seniors around if they’re not going to play a lot.’ I have never really bought into that. They come from three great families. They’re just three great kids. There’s no way I ever wanted to lose them.”
And there’s no way these players would have ever wanted to miss the experience of being part of this team.
“It’s really neat because I have several friends who play at (other schools) – they do their things, but we carry it throughout the offseason too,” Moller said. “We still see our seniors from last year, we still go to the beach in the summertime as a team.
“That’s what makes it really special. You know you can pick up the phone or send an e-mail – ‘Hey, you guys want to get together and play pick-up ball?’ And everyone is all for it and is excited because why wouldn’t we want to be together more than the six months we already are. It’s really special. It’s something I will never forget and that will always be part of me.”
The Indians, who are 10-0 in SOL play (16-0 overall), have a date with archrival Council Rock South on Friday night and – if the script goes as planned - a post-season awaiting with even more memories for Mangogna’s shoebox before the season is over.
Just the Facts
This year’s record: Council Rock North 10-0 SOL (16-0 overall), Council Rock South 8-3 SOL (12-5 overall)
Last year’s record: Council Rock North 14-0 SOL (24-6 overall), Council Rock South 11-3 SOL (21-8 overall)
Last meeting: Jan. 12, 2011 – Council Rock North 40, Council Rock South 35 (Council Rock North: Devin Gold – 17 points, Lauren Gold – 8 points; Council Rock South: Alex Wheatley – 17 points, Brooke Beidler – 9 points)
Last game: Council Rock North 63, Pennsbury 23 (Emily Grundman – 17 points, Devin Gold – 15 points)
Abington 47, Council Rock South 44 (Alex Wheatley – 15 points, Courtney Brown – 13 points)
Council Rock North
Projected starters and season averages:
#5 – Devin Gold (5-8, Sr., Guard) 12.4 PPG, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists
#12 – Lauren Gold (5-7, Jr., Guard) 11.0 PPG, 2.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists
#21 – Emily Grundman (6-2, Jr., Center/Forward) 12.3 PPG, 4.0 rebounds
#35 – Megan Cunningham (5-0, Jr., Guard/Forward) 3.8 PPG, 2.4 rebounds
#51 – Helena Gemmell (5-10, Jr., Forward) 6.1 PPG, 5.7 rebounds
The rest of the Indians:
#3 – Melissa Moller (5-8, Sr., Guard)
#4 – Molly Doyle (5-8, Jr., Guard)
#10 – Alysssa Dumont (5-11, Jr., Forward) 6.9 PPG, 3.3 rebounds
#15 – Ally Mangogna (5-10, Sr., Forward)
#23 – Dana Storjohan (6-2, Sr., Center/Forward)
#30 – Lauren Jirele (5-8, Jr., Guard)
#34 – Alyssa Jett (5-9, Sr., Forward)
#41 – Melissa Rowland (5-8, Jr., Guard)
Council Rock South
Projected starters:
#3 - Brooke Beidler (5-6, Sr.)
#11 - Courtney Brown (5-7, Soph.)
#14 - Alexis Hofstaedter (5-8, Soph.)
#21 - Alex Wheatley (6-3, Jr.)
#24 - Caitlin Jackson (5-9, Fr.)
The rest of the Golden Hawks:
#10 - Kady Schley (5-5, Sr.)
#12 - Taylor Dillon (5-4, Fr.)
#13 - Kara Riehl (5-7, Fr.)
#25 - Emily Rose DeAngelis (5-10, Fr.)
#32 - Taylor Hunt (5-7, Jr.)
#33 - Rachel Jacob (5-11, Jr.)
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