School: Central Bucks East
FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL
Favorite athlete: Mark Titus, Lebron James
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies
Favorite memories competing in sports: Overtime touchdown catch against Abington. Punt return in ninth grade. Beating West in basketball this year. Holicong vs. Tohickon basketball game.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One time, we pranked my friend by freezing his jersey before a game, and it didn’t de-thaw until midway through the first quarter.
Music on iPod: Drake, Kanye West, John Mayer
Future plans: Go to college and have a great time
Words to live by: ‘Carpe Diem’
One goal before turning 30: Open up a restaurant with my friend Eric
One thing people don’t know about me: I’m a great dancer
Scott Shields doesn’t score the most points, but talk to his coach, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that the Central Bucks East senior is an impact player on this year’s squad.
“He’s our glue,” coach Erik Henrysen said of his senior captain. “He kind of set the tone for the entire senior class.”
With senior DJ Beausejour tabbed to assume a lead role, the first-year coach was looking for players to step up in other roles.
“Coming in as a new coach, we left it open – the best players are going to play, and the best players are going to take the most shots,” Henrysen said. “I think Scott set the tone where he just had one goal, and it’s to win. He’s going to do whatever it takes.
“That was one of the biggest pieces – just his presence.”
That presence, according to Henrysen, is significant both on and off the court.
“For him, it’s a matter of – what can I do to help us win?” Henrysen said. “In Friday’s win over CB West, he started the game, and when we were going down the stretch, we had four underclassmen with DJ on the court, but he’s the one that leads us, just making sure everyone is on the same page.
“Whoever is doing it on the court – it doesn’t matter. We’re working toward a win.”
Shields acknowledged that he was concerned about the transition to a new coach after starting for last year’s 9-13 squad.
“We weren’t too successful, but we were pretty optimistic, and all of a sudden our coach gets fired,” he said. “At that point in the season, I was at football workouts, so I really didn’t have a chance to make many basketball practices and open gyms in the spring and summer, and I missed some summer league games.
“Coming into the season, I really got to know coach. He’s a good guy. He’s really enthusiastic and puts a lot of hard work in. He just really wants us to win.”
Shields has been a positive leader of this year’s squad.
“It’s not a verbal thing with Scott,” Henrysen said of his senior captain. “He leads by example. He’s not going out and saying, ‘This is what we need to do,’ but yet he shows everybody what they need to do, and he can also back it up.
“He has a strong personality, and he has all his ducks in a row. He just gets it.”
Shields has taken intentional steps to lead a tight-knit East squad that includes several freshmen.
“I try to make sure everyone has fun, but at the same time, everyone needs to focus when we get on the court,” he said. “Some kids get upset in practice or in games when they mess up or miss shots. What I try to show kids is you just have to forget about it and get on to the next play.
“In games, if I get a foul or turn the ball over, I’ll turn around and jog down the court. If you make a dunk, you have to realize you need to get back on defense. I also try to make sure we all realize that we’re teammates, and we all have each other’s backs. Every player has to give his full effort and be completely invested in what we’re doing every play.”
Shields has had to adjust to being part of an eight or nine-player rotation. Sometimes he is in the starting lineup but often he is not. That has not affected his contributions to the team.
“He’s like a complimentary player,” Henrysen said. “He rebounds well, he settles things down. If there’s a loose ball, he gets in there. He does the dirty work.
“In the Truman game, he scored nine points in the third quarter to lead us to the win. It’s not a matter of him not being a talented player – he is.”
Shields has been playing basketball since he was a youngster, an interest that was nurtured by his father who coached him for many years. He also played soccer, lacrosse, baseball and football. He has stayed with football and basketball.
“Those two have just been the most fun for me,” he said. “I have definitely had a close group of friends I’ve played with in both sports.
“In football season, I’m not thinking about basketball. Basketball is the same way.”
A three-year varsity letter winner in football, Shields found himself playing for a new coach last fall in that sport as well.
“It was crazy,” Shields said. “We were in the middle of my junior year, and all of a sudden we find out our coach quit after three losses.
“Everyone kind of stood back and said, ‘Wow, what just happened?’ We were 3-4 in our last seven games, and the coaches (who took over) did a great job.”
The arrival of coach John Donnelly brought immediately stability to the program. Expectations were also higher.
“In the offseason, he came in and really set a new tempo for East, starting with the weight room and offseason workouts,” Shields said. “He really brought his own new style and wanted us to achieve everything we could. It worked for us.
“We ended up 4-6, but it easily could have been 6-4. I don’t think anyone has any regrets with the season. Everyone was satisfied. We had a great time. Coach Donnelly is awesome. We had the same group that stuck together the past three years, and we had so much fun this season.”
Talk to Donnelly, and it’s clear that Shields played a role in that fun.
“Scotty never met a microphone he didn’t like,” the Patriots’ coach said. “He is a funny kid, whether it is at a pep rally, on the bus or in the meeting room.
“He really enjoys life and soaks up the high school experience. I truly enjoyed coaching him, and he has a bright future ahead of him as he awaits acceptance to some high academic schools.”
Shields kept busy for the Patriots on the gridiron. He played tight end, outside linebacker and was a long snapper. He hauled in six passes – none bigger than his touchdown reception in overtime to give East a huge win over Abington.
“That was a great moment for him and the team,” Donnelly said. “Scotty was busy on Friday nights.
“He was on many of our special forces teams. He was stellar as a long snapper, and he played a big role in our two tight end sets as a solid blocker. In both basketball and football, Scotty always does the little things – the things that sometimes go unnoticed but are instrumental in helping the team win.”
Shields excels in the classroom as well. A member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the National Honor Society, he plans to major in business with an interest in finance/banking, although he has not decided on a college.
During a busy high school career, Shields has managed to balance academics and sports and says competing in sports has taught him time management skills.
“I motivated myself to be the best player I can be which also in turn motivated me to be the best student I could be,” Shields said. “They all encompass each other – it’s motivation, teamwork and getting the best out of yourself.”
It’s the kind of example that has made Henrysen’s job easier.
“You’re trying to build chemistry, you’re trying to build a level of expectation, and when you have someone like Scott, it helps you in that area,” the Patriots’ first-year coach said. “It’s one less thing you need to worry about.”
