Lansdale Catholic guard Gabby Casey learned how to be a leader

Ahead of Gabby Casey’s freshman year at Lansdale Catholic, the plan was for her to fill a sixth-man role for the Crusaders.

But when Lansdale Catholic’s starting center got hurt just minutes into the first game of the season, those plans changed. Crusaders coach Eric Gidney subbed Casey into the game, and from that point forward, the 5-foot-10 guard became an every-game starter.

The Crusaders had several veteran leaders on that team, and Casey spent much of the year taking notes and contributing in whatever way she could.

“The leadership that the seniors had that year really pushed everyone,” Casey said. “My freshman year was good because it shaped everyone into who we are now.”

Those seniors also helped remove some of the pressure from Casey, someone who Gidney knew had high expectations of both herself and the team, even as a freshman.

“I think us as a staff tried not to put any undue pressure on her,” Gidney said. “I think she already put a lot of pressure on herself. I think she always had high expectations of what she brings to the roster and what she brings to the program.”

Along with the Crusaders’ key cog of seniors, Casey helped lead Lansdale Catholic to a 24-3 record and a spot in the state quarterfinals before the pandemic shut down the playoffs.

That season gave Casey and the Crusaders something to build on heading into her sophomore year. After playing a contributing role as a freshman, Casey was poised to become a feature player in the offense.

But as was the case for so many other programs, LC’s 2020-21 season was full of disruptions. The Crusaders struggled to find their form from the year before, eventually finishing with a 2-11 record.

Although it didn’t yield many positive results on the court, the season did help showcase Casey’s resiliency and competitive spirit. It also taught the then-sophomore several key lessons.

“It was tough, especially playing with the mask and everything,” Casey said. “But it was, honestly, just a lot of lessons learned last year because we learned never to take any moment on the basketball court for granted … and it just taught us to persevere through all the hard times.”

Said Gidney: “During that 2-11 campaign, she was very good at turning the page. Every single game that we walked into, even if we were vast underdogs, she came out from the jump and just played hard.”

When Casey’s junior year rolled around, she and her Crusaders teammates looked to put these lessons into practice. They were able to do exactly that, and LC rode a 19-8 record all the way to the PIAA 4A state title game.

Casey played a major part in that effort, averaging 22 points per game en route to what was the program’s first state championship appearance. It wasn’t just Casey’s play that helped drive the team’s success. It was also her leadership on a team that started three underclassmen.

“I don’t think those underclassmen have the same success they had ultimately for our team if it wasn’t for Gabby’s leadership and how she led by example,” Gidney said. “Vocally, as well, she was an emotional leader for the team; it was a huge spark plug for us.”

For Casey, taking on a leadership role has been exciting and something she thinks will help make her a better all-around player and teammate moving forward.

“It’s a good thing for me because starting as a freshman, I didn’t talk much,” Casey said. “I wasn’t really much of a leader, but being a captain and everything, it’s really shaped me into the person I want to be.

“Being a leader for others and having them look up to me is really important. So, I just try to be the best for them.”

In addition to playing her AAU season with the Philly Belles, Casey has continued to work with her trainer, Tina Bastardi. A former assistant coach at Lansdale Catholic for two seasons, including Casey’s freshman year, Bastardi now works in player development.

With Bastardi, Casey has worked on improving her mid-range game, increasing three-point efficiency, and training strength and conditioning.

She has also worked on preparing for her transition to the college game. After her senior year at Lansdale Catholic, Casey will be heading to Hawk Hill after committing to play for Cindy Griffin’s St. Joseph’s program.

St. Joseph’s was a familiar destination for the Philly native. One of Casey’s AAU teammates is Griffin’s daughter, Hannah, and another, Aleah Snead, is also a St. Joseph’s commit. Though Casey had offers from Monmouth, Delaware, and Towson, among others, St. Joe’s was always a place to which she felt connected.

“St. Joe’s was always one of my top schools,” Casey said. “I really wanted an offer from them for a while, and just knowing and having a great relationship with Coach [Griffin] … It was just so great.

“Once I saw Aleah going there … I knew kind of at that moment that I was going to end up there as well.”

St. Joseph’s proximity to home was another major factor in attracting Casey, who wanted to be close enough to her family that they could come watch her play. Growing up in the backyard of the Big 5, Casey was also excited at the prospect of joining a historic basketball culture.

“Playing all the top teams around Philly, and growing up seeing them play, it’s really just been a dream, a dream come true,” Casey said.