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It could be a long time before an athlete like Gloria Brown walks through the hallways of 10th and Moore streets again.
The 6-foot-2 center graduated from Neumann-Goretti with more than 1,800 points, 1,200 rebounds and 400 blocks — all of which are school records. The standout numbers earned Brown plenty of recognition during the 2006-07 season, where she was a McDonald’s All-American finalist, First Team All-Catholic selection and Southern Division MVP. The Saints basketball program reaped the rewards with three straight postseason appearances and a share of this year’s Southern Division regular-season crown.
These accomplishments make Brown stand out as the 2007 Female Athlete of the Year.
"I didn’t expect to accomplish everything I did," Brown, of 18th and McKean streets, said. "It was fun while it lasted. I wish I could go back to it now."
Instead, she’ll be getting acquainted with a new group of teammates as a member of the North Carolina State University women’s basketball team. Brown heads south this week for summer classes and training — a commitment that requires running several miles a week.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is about as big as it gets when it comes to Division I basketball, with Duke, North Carolina and Maryland being just a few of the opponents.
If Brown performs like she did in her three seasons at Neumann-Goretti (freshman year was spent at Bok Tech), being an impact player won’t be a problem. The squad made three Catholic League playoff appearances, highlighted by the 2006 championship game. The only thing missing is that coveted league crown.
"We were kind of disappointed because we wanted to win the whole thing," Brown said. "We worked hard and just fell short."
Coach Chip Reitano isn’t looking forward to filling the void left by the graduation of his star athlete, who he considers one of the best to ever come through the program.
"She is a rare player, especially here for the girls of [Neumann-Goretti]," Reitano said. "She is as close as you’re ever going to come to what June Olkowski [class of 1978] accomplished here. The only thing that Gloria didn’t do that June did was win a title.
"June will forever go down as the greatest player to ever play here. Putting Gloria in the same company with her, I am glad I was here to see that."
Olkowski put Goretti basketball on the map, leading the Lambs to Catholic League championships in ’76 and ’78, which were the only crowns ever won at the all-girl school. Olkowski’s No. 45 is retired and Browns’ No. 20 could soon join it on the walls of the Neumann-Goretti gym.
"I don’t think anyone could do it justice after Gloria Brown wore it," Reitano said of her uniform.
Even with the individual recognition, the soft-spoken athlete prefers highlighting the times she shared with her squad.
"I loved playing with my teammates and having fun with them," Brown said.
She plans on staying in close contact with classmate Jasmine Daniels, who will play Division I basketball at Florida-based Bethune-Cookman University. "I’ll go down there to see her when we play Florida State," Brown said.
Reitano described Brown as "very unselfish."
"If she wanted to take 20 shots a game, she probably would’ve scored 35 points a game and broken all kinds of city scoring records," the coach said. "That wasn’t Gloria. She shot 58 percent from the field for her career and averaged a little less than 20 points a game."
It will be tough to forget those great times on the court, which included seeing Brown develop from new kid on the Catholic League block to MVP.
"When I first came in, I didn’t know I was going to be a starter so I just kept working on my game," Brown said. "[Neumann-Goretti] really helped me develop as a player and playing in the Amateur Athletic Union helped me."
Reitano said he always knew Brown was in a league of her own.
"It was hard to predict how special, but you knew she was going to be a key part of our team through her senior year," Reitano said. "I wasn’t quite sure that she was going to be a potential All-American, but you could see that she was just a special player.
"I had a lot of good players, and a lot of them surprised me, but I don’t know if I was surprised to see [Brown] accomplish what she did."
Runners-up
Ali and Gia Shepherd, CAPA softball
Call it twin power. This sister tandem of shortstop Ali and pitcher Gia helped lead the CAPA softball team to a second-straight Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state-tournament appearance. The duo came up huge in CAPA’s District 12 AAA championship victory over Franklin Towne Charter by knocking in 10 of the 19 runs and combining for seven hits. Ali will continue her softball career at La Salle University, while Gia is retiring the cleats.
Jasmine Daniels, Neumann-Goretti basketball
Every good basketball team needs a strong point guard to run the offense, and Daniels did just that for the Saints. In three years at 10th and Moore streets, she helped her team compile 75 victories, including back-to-back 20-win seasons. This Second Team All-Catholic selection will continue her career at Bethune-Cookman University.
Devita Austin, Bok basketball
The Wildkittens missed the Public League playoff cut, but this senior kept her squad in the race through the final week of play. Austin also was Bok’s top offensive threat with 13.4 points per game. The highlight came in a January victory over William Penn where the athlete tallied a triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds.
