St. Mary's girls basketball poised to make run at state title with talented roster

There’s another girls basketball powerhouse forming on Long Island.

St. Mary’s, a small Catholic High School in Manhasset, may be tiny in size, but it’s becoming a giant in the girls basketball community. The Gaels have a 10-player roster generating interest from colleges around the country and in many cases, a mundane middle-of-the-week practice can outmatch the intensity of certain games.

Destiny Robinson, a 6-foot junior with a 6-8 wingspan, already holds an offer from Syracuse. Robinson knew she wanted to find a high school that would challenge her on the hardwood and help her achieve her dreams of playing Division I basketball. She joined the Gaels last year after the program won back-to-back CHSAA state championships and was graduating Division I talent as she wanted to be an integral part of an emerging top program.

“I knew that I wanted to be a part of that,” Robinson said. “I joined this team to help it become stronger.”

St. Mary’s won 20 games last season, although it was unable to win a league or state title. The Gaels lost to Sacred Heart, 39-29, in the league final before falling to Christ the King, 64-41, in the state CHSAA Class AA semifinals. The league championship loss was a surprise for St. Mary’s, which defeated Sacred Heart by double-digits in the two regular-season meetings. But it was a learning lesson for a lineup that featured seven sophomores.

“Everyone took that loss to heart,” Robinson said. “We took that personally so it’s making us want to push harder and work harder. We beat these teams. We won’t take anything lightly.”

“We have way more motivation to work even harder this year because that loss was kind of embarrassing,” said Kayla Solomon, a junior entering her third year at St. Mary’s. “We know if we want to win, we have to play harder.”

And that begins with the competitiveness level at practice. When you train every day with other girls seeking the same scholarship opportunities, moments are sure to become intensified.  That type of environment is exactly why the girls chose St. Mary’s.

“Even if it’s a smaller drill, we’re all pushing each other to make each other better,” Robinson said. “It’s little things like that that will help us win bigger games. We try to be as aggressive as possible so when it’s the game, we know how aggressive and challenging it’s going to be.”

Coach Kevin White said the recent success has allowed the program to grow through word of mouth. White, in his 10th year at St. Mary’s, schedules challenging non-league games and enters the Gaels into high-profile tournaments to maximize exposure opportunities. The majority of last year’s team returned this winter.

“They’ve matured as basketball players,” White said. “Last year they had a little bit of indecisiveness with them but you can see the difference between their sophomore year and their junior year. They are a lot more confident and they carry themselves differently. It’s fun watching them.”

White has high expectations and demands a lot out of his players. He wants to prepare them for both the athletic and academic challenges they’ll face at college.

“You earn your minutes at practice and that’s what makes practice so competitive,” White said. “You have to earn your minutes here. Some people, especially in today’s society, think they should be entitled to everything and that’s just not the way life is.”

St. Mary’s hopes that approach leads to a third state CHSAA title over the last four seasons with one of the most talented rosters in the state. With only two seniors on the team, the Gaels are looking to reset the foundation for future dominance as they continue adding top talent from the area.

“They were already strong when I got here,” Solomon said. “And when everyone else got here, I knew it was going to make us even better and stronger than before.”