McGarry signs with Colgate

By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
SALEM -- There is no doubt that playing for the Poland and Salem High girls basketball teams helped to make Katherine McGarry a better player.
But what really improved her ability was playing for the Canal Fulton-based Varsity Athletic Club AAU team the past two summers, and competing in the national tournaments.
"In AAU you are [playing] all different positions and you become more versatile and all-around, and it has improved my game so much. It is very vital," said McGarry, who helped Salem advance to the Division II state semifinals last year as a junior for coach Steve Stewart, after transferring from Poland where she played two seasons.
In AAU, "We are playing against the best players in the country and playing against that top talent has helped me to improve."
It also helped her earn a scholarship to Colgate University, a Division I school located in Hamilton, N.Y., that is a member of the Patriot League.
Signs letter of intent
McGarry, who broke the Salem school record for single-season shooting percentage last season with about 63 percent, signed a letter of intent to attend Colgate Wednesday.
She will be joining a successful program. Colgate won the Patriot League championship last year with a 21-10 overall record and 10-4 in the league.
"This turns out to be an ideal situation for me," said McGarry, a 5-foot-11 post player who is planning to study pre-medicine.
"[Colgate] has a great blend of athletic and academic [opportunity]. They have a good pre-medicine program there. I wanted to play somewhere where I can get the education I needed to go on and further my education.
"I just felt at home there [with] the coaches, players, and [it has] the academics I wanted to go into pre-medicine."
Coach followed her career
McGarry, who averaged around 10 points and seven rebounds last season while playing a strong defensive game for Salem, said that Colgate's first-year coach, Kristin Hughes, has been following her since she was a sophomore at Poland.
"She saw me actually in AAU while playing for the Varsity Athletic Club," said McGarry.
Hughes was hired last June from Case Western Reserve, where she won 120 games in 11 seasons.
McGarry credits her high-percentage shooting to shot selectivity.
"I try to take only the best shots, and if I am double-teamed I try to kick out the ball to my teammates and the shooters out there," said McGarry.
She credits her Salem teammates for trying "to get the ball into me to make my play."
But she said she was only part of "a well-balanced offensive attack last season," and that she made as big or even bigger a contribution on defense.
"I am a hard worker on [defense]. I tried to focus more on [defense] than offense."
Parents happy with choice
McGarry, who still lives in Poland with her parents, Terry and Kenneth, and older brothers David and Dustin, said that her parents are very happy she chose Colgate.
"They are ecstatic for me" and "they definitely feel it is a good opportunity," said McGarry, whose two brothers are Youngstown State students.
She has two personal objectives with the Salem High team this coming season that she would like to take with her to Colgate.
"I would like to be more of an outside offensive threat at the post, so I will work on that, and work on my speed," said McGarry.
kovach@vindy.com