WORCESTER — If I knew then what I know now ...¬
The line has become a cliché. ¬
Every adult has said it at least once, including Central Catholic assistant coach Zibby McCleary. Early this decade, when she was a junior in high school, she had trouble making sense of her basketball career.
"I know the specific game that was my downturn," said McCleary, a 2001 Central graduate. "I went in against Andover. I had two quick turnovers. I was yanked right out. It just freaked me out. My confidence was shattered." ¬
McCleary, being a teenager, was crushed. She met with her then-coach, Sue Downer, who told McCleary she needed to improve on offense. McCleary struggled the rest of the winter. The sequence of events, she said, "really destroyed" her.¬
McCleary knows now that her world wasn't actually crumbling. She went on to attend Boston College and is currently working toward a graduate degree in social work at the Heights. In the long run, one tough hoops season didn't matter so much. But try telling that to her 16-year-old self.¬
"As a player, it's hard to see all that," she said. "You're in your own little world."¬
McCleary and fellow assistant Casey Grange, who also played for Downer at Central, are in a unique position. They both know what it's like to struggle and succeed in one of the state's most competitive programs. ¬
Raider players say the young coaches played a key role in the team's run to the Division 1 state title.
"They're definitely resources for us," Central center Katie Zenevitch said. "We look up to them."
When the Raiders took the floor to warm up at the DCU Center Saturday, Grange and McCleary were there, offering encouragement and advice. They're also never afraid to crack a joke if necessary.
"If Sue's nervous, we make her laugh," said McCleary, who grew up in North Andover. "To ease the tension."
It's something that's rubbed off on the Raiders.
"They both definitely have a sense of humor," Zenevitch said. "Every day at practice they lighten the mood."
Then again, it's not always a laughfest. Before Central's state semifinal win over Brockton, Grange purposely cut through the TD Banknorth Garden aura with a verbal dagger. After all, she was a member of the 2002 Central squad that lost to Walpole in the Division 2 state semis.
"It's a special place, enjoy it," she told the players. "But it's also a gym. It's a lot more fun to win here than to lose here. We want to win. Enjoy it once we win."
...
The hardest thing about coaching, McCleary jokes, is calling Downer by her first name. ¬
"It was definitely a transition," McCleary said. "All of a sudden we felt like we were friends." ¬
The two had a good relationship when McCleary was in high school, but this was different.
"It was much more relaxed," said McCleary, who joined Downer's staff soon after graduating from BC in 2005.
Grange, a 2003 Central grad who went on to become a star soccer player at Bryant University, fell out of the basketball loop in college. When she got out of school two years ago, Downer suggested coming aboard.
The two have been close since Grange was a student at Central. When Grange's late father Doug was diagnosed with cancer almost a decade ago, Downer pulled her aside. The coach had tears in her eyes.
"It just shows how much she felt for me," Grange said. "She was there for me the whole time. She just really cares about the players."
Just ask McCleary. The summer after her tumultuous junior season, she spent countless hours in the gym. By early in her senior season, she had played her way into the regular rotation. Then, during a Christmas Tournament game, she had her moment.
"A career-high 13 points!" McCleary said with a laugh.
Downer's words at halftime have stuck with her ever since.
"Zibby played her heart out," McCleary remembers the coach saying. "I wish I had 12 of her."
"I was elated," McCleary said. "On cloud 9."
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