Shannon Earley is taking charge for the Chargers in her final high school basketball season.
The 6-foot-2 Stagg senior committed to Division III Carroll University in Wisconsin back in November. Picking a college early has allowed her to play in the moment and help get her current team some wins.
“I love that I chose Carroll at the beginning of the season,” Earley said after a 28-27 home loss to Lincoln-Way Central on Jan. 16. “It got the stress off me and it freed me up to focus on the season, and getting better for the future.”
Earley’s name was all over the stat sheet for the Lincoln-Way Central game, as she finished with nine points, 13 rebounds, two assists, a steal and five blocks.
“I try to get after rebounds as much as possible,” Earley said. “I fight down low and get physical. That’s what coach (Allee Hernandez) tells me to do. She told me I have time to make myself a presence down there.”
Her competitiveness and strong performance on the court has allowed her to break into the Stagg record books. Earley now owns the school record for most rebounds in a game, most career blocks and most blocks in one game.
“She is a defensive phenom,” Hernandez said.
Earley drew a crucial foul late in the fourth quarter that sent her to the line with her team down. She split the free throws and tied the game at 27 — the only point of the fourth quarter for Stagg (13-9, 4-5 Southwest Suburban).
“What it comes down to is that we scored five points in the second half,” Hernandez said. “Holding a really good team to under 30 points is fantastic, but it’s hard to come up on top in those games (when you don’t score).”
The 28 points allowed by Stagg was the third fewest points scored by Lincoln-Way Central all season.
Junior guard Abby Ellsworth matched Earley with nine points as well.
“I want the other girls to realize they can be scorers too,” Hernandez said. We can’t rely on one, two or three people. We have to have others step up.”
Hernandez says taking charge and being a leader is a way of life for Earley. Whether it be during practice, a game or even helping at a basketball camp for kids in the summer, Earley steps up.
“She’s a very vocal leader naturally wherever she goes,” Hernandez said. “She’s sort of like another assistant coach. She’s going to be very successful in life because of how she takes control of a group.”
The senior student-athlete does not just play basketball but is involved in flag football, Powerlifting Club, Debate Team and National Honor Society. She has an affinity to her English classes and hopes to maybe become an author one day but believes her other favorite subject, psychology, has helped her on the court.
Earley has a keen sense of the pulse of her teammates and the team as a whole at all times. Understanding this allows her to know when a teammate might need a high-five or words of encouragement.
“Knowing how to read a person helps me be a better teammate and respond better to what my teammates need for what they show me through their behavior,” Earley said.
“She’s always the first to say something,” Hernandez said. “And when things go south, she’s going to gather the girls and tell them, ‘Hey guys! Let’s go, we got this.’”
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