By Scott Brinton
when she scored her 1,000th career point in a game against Oceanside. Megan, 15, an unassuming honors student as well as a top athlete, is the first Calhoun girl to reach the vaunted mark -- and she's only a sophomore.
June Spruyt, Megan's basketball coach and Calhoun's athletic coordinator, said, "She has a really hard work ethic. People hear that Megan's a great player. But she puts a lot of work into it. And she's a great athlete who sees the court very well. She's a student of the game."
And, school officials say, she's a team player. She would likely have reached the 1,000-point mark earlier, but she is described as a "selfless" on-court leader who readily gives up the ball to teammates rather than shoot to score.
By the end of her high-school career -- two and a half years from now -- Megan may very well score 2,000 points, which would catapult her into the most elite ranks of Long Island girls' basketball players.
Megan is already considered a top basketball player across the Island. As a freshman, she earned All-County and Second Team All-Long Island honors, averaging 18 points a game. This season she has averaged 22 points per game thus far. She has played varsity basketball since seventh grade, and her early prowess on the court and mature play quickly became a regular topic of conversation in coaching circles.
"My team has had a lot to do with it," Megan says with an easy smile. "They're always there supporting me. Without them I couldn't be where I am now."
In addition to shining on the hardwood, Megan excels in the classroom. She takes a course load full of Advanced Placement and honors classes -- and maintains a 94 average. She is also a member of Athletes Helping Athletes, and plays varsity soccer and lacrosse. She has earned All-Conference honors in both sports.
Saul Lerner, the Central High School District athletics director and a former professional basketball player in Israel, says, "I've been in Nassau County for 11 years, and Megan ranks right up among the best players I've seen play this game. In addition, she's a good, solid young lady, which makes it all the better."
The Lady Colts are now 10-1 overall and 5-0 in Conference II play. The team will meet powerhouses Hicksville and Elmont in the coming weeks. Megan says her immediate goal is to help make sure her team makes the county championships. Last year the squad made it to the quarterfinals.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
