Basketball
Favorite athlete: Brandon Marsh
Favorite team: Sixers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Playing in the Respect Her Game hoops summer league championship game against Audenried this year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I was guarding a girl who was inbounding the ball and pump faked like she was going to throw it at my face and I laughed!
Music on playlist: Taylor Swift, Drake, Post Malone
Future plans: Play basketball in college and major in business management.
Words to live by: “You have to lose to know how to win.”
One goal before turning 30: Do an internship or have a job with the Phillies.
One thing people don’t know about me: I’ve traveled to 34 states
By Mary Jane Souder
Sarah Oleary had an identity long before she stepped onto the basketball court at Abington High School.
It was really quite simple - she was Lizzie Oleary’s little sister. There was certainly nothing wrong with that. After all, Lizzie had left behind quite a legacy, leading the Ghosts to two District 1 title games and a district title in 2017 while scoring 1201 points, earning all-state and going on to play at the University of Delaware.
The only thing wrong with that identity was that it did nothing more than create a giant shadow to live under when Sarah entered Abington’s program as a freshman three years after Lizzie graduated.
“It was definitely a lot of pressure because obviously she’s an amazing player,” Sarah said. “I always felt like I was in her shadow, but at the same time, I knew I was my own person, and I knew we were going to be different players.
“I was always reminded by my family and some coaches that obviously we’re not the same person, and it’s okay if I’m not everything she was and not scoring a thousand points like she was.”
Sarah found herself biding her time to earn a spot on varsity, and she did not see meaningful varsity minutes until her senior year when she was named a captain and was a fixture in the starting lineup.
“It was definitely hard at times,” Oleary said of following her sister. “It was good at some points too because then I had more exposure. People know my name, so that was nice, especially with recruiting.
“Overall, it was something I had to overcome, and it was something really difficult, but once I realized we’re not the same person – I’m my own player and I’m okay with that, it was actually pretty easy to go on.”
Allison Lawson had a front row seat to Oleary’s high school career as the junior varsity coach who this year was named the varsity coach.
“That girl will go a thousand miles for you – that’s Sarah,” Lawson said. “She will dive on the floor, she will do all the little things.
“Even outside of basketball – when we did team activities, she was always the one that headed everything, made sure everybody got there. If somebody needed a ride, she made sure the younger girls had rides. She’s great.”
Back to the beginning
Oleary grew up in a family that enjoyed sports. Both her parents had played some basketball in high school, and they encouraged their three children – Lizzie is the oldest and Sarah the youngest with a brother in between - to get involved in sports.
“They just let all of us explore different sports,” said Sarah. “When I was younger, I played soccer, softball and basketball. They just let us pick what we liked best. For my sister, that was basketball as well.
“I was always at her practices or at her games, and I think that helped me fall in love with basketball as well. I loved going to her games especially because I could always learn something new from them and also just enjoyed watching her play. I just grew more love for the game and got more interested in as I grew up.”
Sarah played on her first team – a CYO team – when she was in second grade, and she joined the AAU circuit in sixth grade. She initially played for the Comets before moving to Fencor.
“I think that’s when I really got to be my own player,” Sarah said of the move to Fencor. “They let me really embrace myself.”
That, however, did not make the transition to high school any easier for Sarah, who immediately felt the burden of expectation following in the sizable footsteps of 6-2 Lizzie Oleary (Sarah is 5-10).
“Coach (Dan) Marsh had coached my sister also, so he knew what she was about,” she said. “I think he might have had higher expectations for me.”
“Lizzie was one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” said Marsh, the longtime girls’ coach who is now coaching on the boys’ side. “I ran into some situations with Sarah where I even called her Lizzie a couple of times.
“Not disrespectfully, and that bothered her, so I made a conscious effort to not do that. I think that was a defining moment in our relationship because I realized that it was not acceptable, and even though it wasn’t malicious, I needed to make a conscious effort to not do that.”
Oleary saw minimal varsity minutes as a freshman and sophomore, and as a junior also saw limited varsity minutes.
“That was really hard mentally because I was like – ‘Maybe I’m not good enough, maybe I shouldn’t play at the next level,’” Oleary said. “It was something I really had to focus on and be like – ‘Okay, well, maybe I need to work harder, maybe I need to do this, maybe I have to do that.’
“Overall, I think that was something I struggled with confidence-wise also, and that may have stunted my growth as a player.”
Oleary, however, never seriously considered walking away from a sport she loves.
“The thought crossed my mind, but I knew I definitely wanted to keep playing even if it was going to be a struggle because I felt like I needed to prove to myself that I could overcome it and go through hard things,” she said. “I think that just made me a better person. Not even in basketball but just in general. Going through something tough like that and being able to overcome it and see myself on the other end of being such a better person because of it was worth everything I went through.”
A happy ending and a new beginning
As a senior, Oleary contributed as a leader on and off the court.
“Sarah was always a team player, she wasn’t always a leader,” Lawson said. “She was a silent leader this year. She wasn’t very vocal on the court, but her actions and the things she does make her a leader.”
Lawson also credited Oleary for her tireless work ethic.
“She always came to things and was reliable,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “If there was an open gym, Sarah’s there, and if she’s not, there was a reason why she’s not there – she’s at a college visit or had to do something with school. I could always rely on her.”
On the court, Oleary was counted on to guard the post.
“Last year Piper (McGinley) had to guard the post, and it was nice I didn’t have to use a guard,” Lawson said. “Sarah could defend the post.
“Sarah is a team player through and through. When you want someone who is a team player, that’s Sarah. She is a great kid.”
Her former coach also had high praise for Oleary.
“I can empathize with her -I had a brother who was a Division 1 basketball player, and I followed him in high school,” Marsh said. “It was absolutely difficult to follow somebody like Lizzie. Honestly, Sarah handled it very well.
“She always told me she wanted to carve her own path, she worked hard, she never complained, and she made her teammates better by her work ethic and her wanting to carve her own path. I was very happy for her that she was able to earn a starting spot this year and have a good year. It’s always good to see when hard work pays off.”
Oleary leaves with fond memories of her final high school season.
“Being able to actually play and help my team succeed and work through difficult games – we had games where I really needed to step up as the tallest player to help my team get through that and succeed,” she said. “Even though we didn’t make it to states, I honestly thought we had such a great season.
“Being able to be part of that and the chemistry we had this year was amazing. Being a captain and helping other people was so rewarding. Even though my first three years weren’t what I wanted them to be, being able to have that this year was worth going through the first three years and not playing that much.”
Oleary will continue her basketball career at Washington College, committing to the Maryland school last October. She also considered Marymount and Gwynedd Mercy
“I always knew I wanted to play in college at a very young age,” Oleary said. “My Fencor coaches were extremely helpful in getting us as much exposure as possible and putting us in the right tournaments each weekend.
“I’m so excited. Being able to continue as long as I can - I knew that was something I wanted to do. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Off the basketball court, Oleary was part of a business club called DECA, which prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in high school and college. She is a member of the LINK Crew, which is comprised of upperclassmen who help freshman transition to the high school.
“It was super fun being able to help all those students because I was in that situation too when I got to high school,’” Oleary said.
An excellent student who is taking two AP classes this semester, Oleary plans to major in business with a goal of one day working for a professional sports team.
“I just want to keep sports in my life,” she said. “I love watching sports, I love going to sports games. I would love for it to be basketball, but it can be any sport. I just need to have that in my life for as long as I can.”
