Hard work helped Gwynedd Mercy’s Coleman extend career

Brigit Coleman knows about as well as anyone just how much hard work and dedication it takes to become a college basketball player.

The Gwynedd Mercy Academy senior has worked and grinded, both on the court and behind the scenes, overcoming a major setback as a sophomore to reach the stage she wanted. After one point fearing her college prospects could be over, Coleman was part of two stellar seasons with the Monarchs and found the right place to keep going.

Coleman will play next year at University of the Sciences, the end result of a dedicated rehab from a torn ACL that derailed her sophomore season.

“I really wanted to be in the city, I wanted to be competitive in basketball but also have a life, be able to study and do everything that I need to do,” Coleman said. “I loved the coaches and all the other girls I met there as well.”

Sunday, Coleman represented Gwynedd Mercy one last time as part of the 29th Annual Labor Classic all-star game in Philadelphia, where she scored four points and pulled down four rebounds.

Prior to Coleman’s sophomore season, GMA brought in Tom Lonergan as head coach. With a good core, which included Coleman and then sophomores Erica DeCandido, Maggie Cameron and Mary Claire Casey, Lonergan saw plenty of potential in the group, especially DeCandido and Coleman.

Then, early in the year, disaster struck for Coleman. A torn ACL meant she would be sidelined for the rest of the season and through the summer, a crucial period for prospective college players on the AAU circuit.

“I know a lot of people who have come back from that kind of injury and they weren’t as strong,” Coleman said. “It’s the prime time for recruiting for AAU and I thought I may not be able to play in college.”

But Coleman was determined and she attacked her rehab relentlessly. Her new coaches at GMA were also behind her every step of the way. Coleman said they came to see her after her surgery and made sure she had anything she needed during the long road back.

By not wallowing around and instead going hard after her goals, Coleman helped speed up the rehab process. That, combined with her already being young and athletic, put her about two months ahead of the usual schedule and eventually she was able to start getting some shots up early.

The guard lived in the gym, getting in and hoisting shots whenever she could. All that work paid off once the day finally arrived where she was cleared full-go.

“I was always in the gym because I missed it so much and I definitely was a better shooter because I got so many shots,” Coleman said. “But I think I was a little bit slower and because I was out for so long, with game situations, I wasn’t too sharp on that.”

Still, Coleman got back in gear for her junior season, fitting in as a key cog and floor-spacer for the District I champs. Coleman said her injury layoff did cause a couple of schools to lose interest or move on to other prospects but as she continued to prove she was back and still playing at a high level, the interest came back.

The next step was deciding what was going to be right for her. Coleman said she had some Division I interest, but the all-basketball, all-the-time mentality wasn’t what she wanted from her college experience. At the Division II level, she could play, contribute and still have time to be a college student.

“I had more confidence in myself and everything,” Coleman said. “It helped me to know I was being recruited more and I was more comfortable about it.”

Coleman started her senior season off in a shooting slump, but she knew the Monarchs needed more out of her with the dream of a repeat district title on the line. With Lonergan encouraging her, Coleman went back to her sanctuary, the gym, and shot herself back into rhythm.

Taking on more responsibility as a primary ball-handler, Coleman hit her stride and the Monarchs reached their goals, winning an AACA regular season title, a tournament title and the District 1-AAA title. Then they got all the way to the state quarterfinals before falling to state champ Archbishop Wood. In between, Coleman made it official by signing with USciences and the road back was complete.

Between now and the fall, Coleman is going to continue working and refining her game, going to the gym every day and working out with a group of other college-bound players under former NBA player Doug Overton.

The guard has learned a lot from Overton, who played for the Sixers during his career. Coleman said the former pro is good at demonstrating and teaching how to move around the floor and that’s what she’s most trying to incorporate.

“Some of it is really fundamental, being about having more power and getting by people,” Coleman said. “But we also scrimmage and he’ll guide us along while we’re scrimmaging about what we should do and shouldn’t do and it really teaches us the game too.”

Asked if there was anything else that she felt was pivotal to her resurgence, Coleman offered “just hard work.”

Simple, but effective.