Archbishop Carroll’s Grace O’Neill is Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week
The senior guard and co-captain reached the 1,000-point milestone Jan. 24 after scoring 26 points in a win against Germantown Academy. A three-time All-Catholic League selection, she is currently averaging 15.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg and 2.7 spg. Last winter, she was a repeat first team All-Main Line girls’ basketball pick. O’Neill has played field hockey for four years at Carroll, where she is also a part of the Community Service Core Club and Pro-Life Club. A National Honor Society member, O’Neill will be playing basketball for Drexel University next winter.
Q: Against Germantown Academy, you were not aware that you were approaching the 1,000-point milestone. Tell us about the play in which you scored No. 1000, and the whole experience.
A: My favorite moment was being surprised by my teammates and parents with loud cheers. I was in the middle of the court at the three-point line. It wasn’t my intention to shoot because we were trying to slow it down, but I found myself so wide open that I took the shot. I did not know how close I was to hitting this milestone, so I was surprised when my coaches called a timeout to celebrate and my parents had their phones out to film the shot.
Q: What aspect of your game do you feel you improved the most in the past off-season?
A: I feel that I have been able to get my shot off a lot quicker which has been very helpful as we face better defenders.
Q: How do you see your leadership role (on and off the court) as a co-captain of the Archbishop Carroll girls’ basketball team this season?
A: As a co-captain, it is partially my job to make sure that we are prepared for the game, whether that is making sure that we get to the gym on time, stretching before a game, or helping to set a tone at practice.
Q: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your game? What part of your game are you working on the most currently?
A: The strongest aspect of my game is my ability to run in transition. Currently, I am working on improving my different finishes at the basket and continuing to work on my defensive positioning.
Q: Who is your favorite basketball player, and why?
A: Matisse Thybule is one of my favorite players because he is a great perimeter defender.
Q: You wear No. 24 for Archbishop Carroll basketball – why did you pick that number?
A: I liked No. 22, but when I first came to Carroll as a freshman field hockey player, someone on the field hockey team already had No. 22, so I thought 24 was a good backup number. Erin Sweeny had No. 22 in basketball, so I decided to choose 24 and stuck with it throughout high school.
Q: Who have been your most important basketball mentors; and what was the most important thing you learned from each of them?
A: My Carroll coaches – Mrs. [Renie] Shields, Erin Shields, Leanne Ockeden, Nora McGeever, and Mike Peretta, my AAU coaches (Leah Shumoski and Katie Fisher), and my uncle (Chuck Creighton) have helped me so much develop as a player. My Carroll coaches have taught me how to be a leader and enhance every part of my game. They have shown me how to be disciplined and mentally prepare for games through practices and film. My AAU coaches coached me from 6th-12th grade, and have prepared both my team and me to play against some of the best girls in the country, competing at a very high level. My Uncle Chuck always shoots with me and helps me correct my form.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation on the day of a game.
A: Before every game, on the bus ride there or before I go into our home gym, I take five minutes, put down my phone and calm my mind. It’s a quick amount of time, but it can change my focus. After we are done stretching, during the third quarter of the JV game, before the coaches come into the locker room, as a team we go through certain aspects of the game that we want to focus on. This makes us aware of specific things that we need to do to win.
Q: What is your favorite academic course at Archbishop Carroll? What do you think you’d like to major in at Drexel?
A: The class I enjoy the most is Film Production, where we get to film and edit fun videos with our friends. I am most likely going to major in Finance at Drexel.
Fun facts – Grace O’Neill
Favorite book: All the things I learned in Kindergarten.
Favorite author: Rebecca Serle.
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill.
Favorite movie: Instant Family.
Favorite athlete: Matisse Thybule.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Hotel Room Service.
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles.
Favorite place to visit: Kiawah, S.C.
Favorite pre-game meal: Chicken.
Person I most admire, and why: “I admire my parents because they always go the extra mile to make sure they come to all of my games and to provide for my siblings and me.”
Family members: parents John and Bernadette, siblings Kate, Jack, Maggie.
(To be selected as Main Line Girls Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by her coach.)
