FILE PHOTO
Swampscott girls basketball coach Katelyn Leonard will coach the South team in the Agganis girls basketball game.
By MIKE ALONGI
Agganis week is a time when area athletes and coaches can put aside the heated competitions of the past and just focus on the game. For the athletes, it’s one final high school game before moving on to the college ranks. But for coaches like Swampscott girls basketball coach Katelyn Leonard, it’s a chance to coach some of the best talent from all across the North Shore.
“There is so much talent on both sides, it’s really a coach’s dream,” said Leonard, who just completed her third season at the helm of the Big Blue. “It’s really just a matter of getting everyone playing time and just letting each girl go out there and play her game.”
Leonard will be coaching in the Agganis Games for the first time, taking control of the South team when it plays at 7:15 p.m. on Monday at Lynn Classical.
“It’s really quite an honor to be picked to coach in this game,” Leonard said. “Not only is it a great chance to coach some of the best players in the area, but it’s just great to be a part of such a significant local event like this.”
The team she’ll be coaching is chock-full of talented players from the Northeastern Conference, including four players from Peabody (Melissa Gray, Alyssa Alperen, Nene Onwuogu and Katie Wallace) and players from Revere (Meaghan Gotham), Saugus (Olivia Valente) and Lynn Classical (Soneta Srey). The only non-NEC players on the South team are Mia Nowicki and Temi Falayi, both from St. Mary’s.
“We have some elite level players, several of whom will be playing in college, so ‘coaching’ won’t really be too much of a concern,” said Leonard. “It’s going to be an opportunity for them to go out there and enjoy one last high school game and get a chance to compete with many of the same players they’ve played against all these years. It hasn’t been too fun being on the opposite side of some of these players over the years, so it will definitely be a nice change to have them on the same side.”
The tenth member of the South team will be one of Leonard’s own players at Swampscott, Jaymie Caponigro. The Southern New Hampshire University-bound guard will play one final game for her high school coach, which is something that Leonard is happy about.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Leonard said of having Caponigro on the team. “Obviously the familiarity will be great, but it will also be nice to share that camaraderie one last time.”
Leonard also pointed out what Caponigro, who was a team captain this season, has meant to the Swampscott program in the three years since Leonard took over.
“She’s been a big role model in the Big Blue program for sure, she’s definitely someone that the younger girls have looked to,” Leonard said. “We’ll certainly miss her both on and off the court, but at least we get to enjoy that one final game together.”
The 13th annual Agganis girls basketball game will tip off at 7:15 p.m. on Monday at Classical.
