A Jersey shooting oasis
Katelynn found her own slice of basketball heaven in the fourth grade.
Searching for a court that fit their practice needs, Flaherty and her father discovered Orchard Park.
Located two towns away from where they lived, the park had an asphalt court with fiberglass backboards and lights.
It became an oasis for Flaherty. It’s the place where she developed her shot and learned the nuances of the game.
Flaherty possessed the natural talent for basketball, but had to work to become a great scorer. She practiced with obsessive regularity to reach her full potential, refusing to take breaks even for holidays. Relatives knew Christmas couldn’t start until Flaherty and her father finished their workout.
Flaherty would play at Orchard Park nearly every day from April through November no matter the time of day or the elements.
Her father brought a ladder to replace the nets once they wore out. He brought a broom and towels to dry the court when it rained.
Flaherty’s mom sat courtside in a beach chair ready to help whenever needed.
Flaherty would run through specific drills and then play pickup games of 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5.
“I’d spend three to four hours a day at Orchard Park every day. We had a group of girls come play at times and my dad would play,” said Flaherty, who is averaging a collegiate career-high 23.7 points and 4.7 assists this season. “That really helped me know the game and find different ways to score with how different people were guarding me. I had to become kind of crafty.”
Stories would trickle back to Barnes Arico about Flaherty’s shooting feats during workouts. She would take 1,000 shots and make 900 – surely perturbed by those 100 misses – and make 350 straight free throws.
“I didn’t really believe it until she got here,” Barnes Arico said. “Now I rebound for her and I say ‘Oh my goodness.’ My own three children watch her in awe with their mouths open because they can’t believe she doesn’t miss.”
Flaherty has worked to expand her game even more in college. She has a better understanding of how to read defenses and can score in multiple ways.
“If she’s not knocking down 3s, she finds a way to the rim and can pull up midrange. She has so many moves to get defenders off balance,” Barnes Arico said. “She can stop on a dime and change speed and change directions. She is really, really difficult to guard and she has an endurance level that is incredible. She just wears people down.”