A Versatile Leader
By Katie Nugent
Special to GoHolyCross.com
Briana McFadden, a senior co-captain of the Holy Cross women's
basketball team, has achieved success from the start during her
collegiate career. In her freshman year, point guards Laura Aloisi
and Jessica Pearson both suffered ACL injuries and the team
spiraled into a seven-game losing streak. When head coach Bill
Gibbons asked her to help out in this situation, McFadden stepped
up to the challenge of playing the point guard position and helped
lead the team to a Patriot League Championship and a trip to the
2007 NCAA Tournament.
"I was amazed at the poise and maturity she displayed as a
freshman playing a position that she had not played since the
seventh grade," Gibbons recalls. "She showed what she can really
mean to a team."
Even during her earliest days on the hardwood, McFadden
established herself as a fearless player. She describes being the
only girl on her very first basketball team when she was just six
years old. It was not until middle school that McFadden realized
that she wanted to play at the college level, as she looked up to
the women she saw playing in the NCAA Tournament. Little did she
know that she would evolve into one of the players she used to
simply admire on television.
During her four years with the Crusaders, McFadden has had many
memorable moments on the court and achieved much success. The
league championship and the chance to play in the NCAA tournament
that concluded her freshman season stands out as the best memory.
"Experiences like these are things most college athletes don't get
to enjoy," says an extremely grateful McFadden.
Her overall list of accomplishments is impressive. She began her
career being named to the Patriot League All-Rookie team, and
during her sophomore and junior years she was named first team
All-Patriot League. McFadden was also the 25th player in Holy Cross
women's basketball history to score 1,000 career points.
What makes McFadden such a special player is her versatility, a
quality she proved to possess during her sophomore year when she
moved to the three spot and earned the honor of Patriot League
Player of the Year. "She has been the heart and soul of our team
for the past four years," says Gibbons.
Just as McFadden has been a focused and diligent member of the
women's basketball team, Gibbons has played a major role in her
development. "Coach provides us with an environment to be
successful both on and off the court," says McFadden. "He has
played a pivotal role in shaping me into the player and person I am
today."
McFadden has not only gained the respect of her coach, but she has
also earned the respect of her teammates, which allows her to be
such a great leader on the court. "She is calm under pressure, a
great competitor and plays with confidence in herself and her
teammates," senior co-captain Bethany O'Dell says of her teammate
and close friend.
Her success is not limited to the court, as she is also an
extremely hardworking student and an active member in the
community. During her time at Holy Cross, she has tutored at the
Mercy Centre, assisted with basketball clinics for local girls and
has volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club.
McFadden would not trade her four years at Holy Cross for anything
in the world, as being an athlete on campus has made for an
unforgettable college experience. From a team trip to Italy, to a
NCAA tournament matchup against Duke, to the strong bonds formed
with her teammates, Holy Cross has provided Briana with
opportunities that most college students only dream about.
As McFadden reflects on her time at Holy Cross, she realizes that
it is the relationships and bonds formed with her teammates that
she will miss the most after graduation. "I can't imagine not
having those friendships through the ups and downs of our careers
here," says McFadden.
McFadden enters to the Patriot League Tournament hungry for
another championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament. "When it
comes to the Patriot League it's the rivalries that you build up
that get you fired up to play," says the fierce competitor.
Regardless of how the season ends, McFadden's future is bright as
she hopes to continue her basketball career overseas and one day
attend medical school.
This article will appear in the 2010 Patriot League Basketball Tournament Program.
