Super
soph
Butler's
Bresnahan tops county scoring, but not potential with Lady Tornado
By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor
BUTLER TWP— Olivia Bresnahan has struggled at the free throw line and with
developing her outside shot.
Yet
"Imagine where she'd be if she was just making free throws,"
"Olivia will settle down and make those shots. She's been working with
(assistant coach)Aaron (Epps) on her foul shooting. This girl is dedicated to
improving her game."
Bresnahan averaged eight points per game for the Golden Tornado varsity as a
freshman last year, an unexpected starter at point guard after Lyndsy Day and
Mackenzie Greenert went down with knee injuries.
"She was thrown into the fire last year,"Epps admitted. "But
she's benefited from that. She's a sophomore in class ... She's not a sophomore
on the basketball court.
"We graduated 95 percent of our scoring from last year. Olivia knew she'd
have to step up her scoring production this season and she's done that."
Bresnahan has connected on only 13 of her last 32 free throw attempts and does
not shoot from beyond the 3-point arc.
"I want to develop a more consistent outside shot,"she said.
"It's just not part of my game right now.
"The free throws will come. I've just been going through one of those
stretches."
The bulk of Bresnahan's points come from aggressive drives to the basket. She
handles the ball well and rarely turns it over.
"With her size and strength ... You just can't stop her,"Shady Side
Academy coach Amy Szlachetka said of Bresnahan's drives to the bucket.
And with her combination of size and knowledge of the game, Bresnahan — who
shares point guard duties with Day this season — guards the opponent's best
forward as well.
"It's a unique combination,"Epps admitted.
Bresnahan's father, Ed Bresnahan, played basketball at Butler in the late 1970s
and was a teammate of Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame members Eddie Hartman and
Mark Smith.
His daughter has been playing the game since second grade.
"Iused to coach youth ball at the Butler Cubs and Olivia came to the gym
with me,"Mr. Bresnahan said. "She wasn't supposed to be allowed, but
I let her play in some games with fifth and sixth-graders.
"She's been that way her whole way up through the system. She's used to
being the youngest out there."
Bresnahan admitted to being nervous about being thrust into a starting role
last season.
"My first couple of games, I was scared to death," she said.
"But seniors on the team, Amy Achesinski and Maria Baroffio, calmed me
down.
"They were great. They worked with me in practice and showed a lot of
confidence in me."
Now Bresnahan is one of the Tornado's veteran players — while only being a
sophomore.
"Maybe a little bit," she said shyly about accepting some leadership
responsibilities. "But Lyndsy Day is our leader out there."
Day's return to the lineup this year could not have come at a better time for
Bresnahan.
"Last year, Olivia was a surprise to everyone we played,"Epps said.
"Now she's a known commodity and teams prepare for her. With Lyndsy on the
floor with her, though, defenses can only pay so much attention to
Olivia."
"She's a great player and she makes me a better player,"Bresnahan
agreed.
Besides her production offensively, Bresnahan is among the team leader in
steals because of her positioning and fundamental skills defensively.
She's been playing traveling basketball since fifth grade and has worked with
Rock Solid AAUbasketball coaches Posey and Melinda Rhoads for years.
"Melinda has been a tremendous asset to her in terms of her development as
a defensive player,"Bresnahan's father said.
Slippery Rock High School players and Rock Solid teammates Karly and Kourtney
Rhoads are among Bresnahan's closest friends.
"They're like sisters to me,"she said. "We've practically grown
up together."
Despite graduating three starters from a year ago, Butler's girls are off to a
9-1 start and are unbeaten in section play going into the holiday week.
Bresnahan is a big reason why.
"She has all the tools and she's a workaholic in the gym,"Epps said.
"We've had a lot of great players come through Butler over the years and
Olivia is going to be right up there with all of them by the time she's through
here."