Alexa (Weazel) Dietrich thought her physical activity for the day was over. The Archbishop Molloy rising junior went for a run and was about to head into the shower when Joe Harnischfeger, the coach of the NYC Bulldogs 15U team, called.
His squad was going to have to play three consecutive games at the Coaches Choice USA East Coast Challenge at Hofstra on Monday night and the tournament directors said he could bring extra players. Harnischfeger, the JV head coach at Molloy, felt they needed a true point guard and immediately got into contact with Dietrich, who usually plays with Tom Catalanotto’s 17U squad. Before she knew it, Harnischfeger was at her house by 2 p.m. ready to drive her out to Hempstead for a 4:45 p.m. game.
“I just got out the shower and my hair was soaking wet,” Dietrich said. “I just ran out.”
She delivered exactly what Harnischfeger was looking forward to, playing alongside Stanners teammates Jessica Jamin and Patricia Dorgler. Even on a squad made up of mostly less experienced players, including Janelle Mullen, Sarah Duryea and Daniella Arias, Dietrich was about making others around her better, despite being the most experienced player on the floor. She would penetrate into the lane, draw two and three defenders and kick to an open teammates on the block and in the corner.
“You would think that when she comes with the young team he would get a lot of shots and stuff,” said Jamin, a rising junior. “She still passes it to us.”
With less than five minutes to play in their section championship game, the Bulldogs trailed the Comets (Pa.), 39-36. Dietrich picked up a steal and scored at the top of the key and Jamin collected two of her own to give the Bulldogs a 40-39 lead with 45 seconds left. Dietrich was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. She missed a layup that would have put the game away, but kept her man from getting a shot off as time expired in a 41-39 win.
“I have a lot of confidence in her that she will make the right pass,” Jamin said.
Dietrich is in the midst of a fine travel ball season. She was instrumental in her Bulldogs team winning the GymRat Challenge in June and last week they went 5-1 shorthanded at the Blue Chip USA Invitational at Penn State. Dietrich is getting Division II college interest. The Bulldogs will travel down to the USJN National Championship in Washington, D.C. next week.
There are still a few areas Dietrich is looking to improve on. She is sometimes unselfish to a fault by not looking for her own shot when it’s there. Dietrich has been heading to the park to add range, but still knows her confidence to let it fly in a game still needs to grow and complement her ability to run a team to perfection.
“I have to just shoot it,” she said. “I hesitate a little bit. That’s what I am going to work on. Hopefully next season I’ll be good with that.”
Dietrich has already helped to lead the Stanners to state Federation Class A title last season, playing one of her best games of the year in the Fed final. She scored six points, dished out five assists and lifted her game when star guard Amani Tatum picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter. The best could be yet to come for her and the Stanners.
“She is a special player,” Harneschfeger said. “She really is.”