Increased scrutiny didn’t stop Gagan
Senior helped lead Saints to Division I tournament
PAWTUCKET – After a strong junior season that saw Kasey Gagan earn secondteam all-state honors and guide St. Raphael to within a win of a second straight trip to the Final Four portion of the R.I. girls’ basketball open state tournament, she knew the heat would be on this year.
It didn’t seem to really matter.
Gagan, in her senior campaign with the Saints, put up strong numbers in 2016-17 in the face of added defensive attention and a loaded schedule that included the two teams that squared off in the Division I finals and met again in the state championship.
In earning her second straight second-team all-state laurel, Gagan averaged a team-best 19 points and five assists per game. She was the driving force behind a St. Raphael outfit that was young and endured a rebuilding year as a first-year Division I participant.
For that, Gagan is the correct choice to be named the 2016-17 Call/Times Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player.
Coming into the season, it was no mystery that Gagan would be the focus for basically every opposing team’s defensive game plan. With the ability to dribblepenetrate to the basket, pull up for a mid-range jumper or let loose from the outside, she was the total package offensively and everyone knew it.
With a target on her back and the supporting cast completely revamped, Gagan was still able to produce at a high clip. The co-captain/guard closed with 19 points, five rebounds, five steals, and two assists against Portsmouth on December 16. That same night saw Gagan surpass the 1,000point plateau.
In a February game against North Kingstown, Gagan went loose for a gamehigh 33 points. In a January contest against Moses Brown, she amassed 25 points and 11 rebounds. Had she received a little bit more help from her teammates, the Saints would have been a playoff team and likely mentioned in the same breath as Division I champ Barrington and state champ La Salle.
“It was frustrating for her at times, but I can honestly say that she came in every day and worked hard,” St. Raphael head coach Tammy Drape said. “She could have had a different attitude, but she went into the season knowing that she had to do more based on what we lost from the previous season.”
Through all the ups and downs, Gagan managed to keep her composure, something that bodes well for her future in the sport. She was more a quiet leader for the Saints, preferring to let her actions on the floor do the talking.
“One thing I wish is that I had more time to coach her,” said Drape.
Gagan opted to reopen her recruiting after supplying a verbal commitment to New York’s Binghamton University shortly after her junior season ended. It will be interesting to see where she ends up, but Drape believes that a bright future awaits her no matter what ends up happening.