How a trio of area basketball players reconnected at Paul VI and are taking their game to the college level

Eva Andrews remembers sitting in homeroom at Paul VI last year, when an assistant athletic director told her a new student, a girls’ basketball player, would be transferring to the school.

Moments later, Brooke Barnes walked into the room.

“Oh my goodness, how are you?” Andrews recalled saying.

The two hadn’t seen each other since the sixth grade, when Andrews and Barnes, along with teammate Shariah Baynes, played their first year of AAU together on the Philadelphia Belles.

“We were all kind of a trio back then, so for us to get back together, I felt like that was great,” said Andrews, a Willow Grove native who later moved to Barrington. “When we got back on the floor, it kind of clicked. It felt like no time had passed.”

The three seniors had different basketball journeys that led them to Paul VI, and each is extending their careers to the college level.

Andrews is heading to North Carolina A&T State, Barnes to Delaware State, and Baynes is taking her talents to Monmouth.

“You actually just reminded me, I forgot we all played together,” Baynes said, laughing. “It’s really no different — of course, the skill set is different — the chemistry and our relationship is not any different at all. I’m really happy to end my senior year with them. Basketball is a small world.”

The 5-foot-6 Baynes of Darby is the only one who came in as a freshman at Paul VI. Barnes joined the program last season from Neumann Goretti, while Andrews transferred in her sophomore year from Trenton Catholic Academy.

The three became aware of the South Jersey school through their former Philly Belles coach, Lisa Steele, who then was the Eagles’ coach.

“The way she coached us, the way she cared for us, it was more than just basketball,” Baynes said. “She was just a really supportive person. She did things outside of basketball. She was there for us, and still to this day, she’s there for me.”

Steele, now the athletic director at Winslow Township High School, led the program for seven seasons. She stepped down in 2021 and Orlando Hidalgo, father of former Paul VI standout and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, took over.

“I didn’t know how things were going to go,” Baynes said. “Coach O coming in, we didn’t really know what to expect. But I wouldn’t say anything’s different. Everybody automatically connected. The chemistry was there.”

With Paul VI ranked as one of the top girls’ basketball programs in the nation, Barnes, who lives in Upper Darby, decided to switch schools to receive more exposure to college coaches. Likewise for Andrews, who left as Trenton Catholic’s future was in doubt because of financial consolidation in 2021.

Andrews, a 5-foot-9 combo guard, knew early on that she wanted to play at the next level. Her older sister, Mia Andrews, an Archbishop Wood grad and senior guard at Fairleigh Dickinson, helped pave that path.

“My sister originally went D-II. She went to the University of Charleston, eventually transferred to Chipola College, which is a JUCO. Now she’s at [Fairleigh Dickinson],” Andrews said. “Seeing her go through that experience and seeing the value of that hard work, I think I was able to kind of double that.”

Andrews’ and Baynes’ recruiting process started their sophomore year. Baynes had narrowed her list to James Madison, Stoney Brooke, Towson, and Monmouth, while Andrews was deciding between William & Mary and North Carolina A&T.

When the two stepped on campus of their respective schools, the program’s culture and energy solidified their commitment.

“I want to try and make an impact as early as possible,” Andrews said. “Along with that, I want to enter into the architectural engineering program. I want to make my standpoint there as well. Also with it being an HBCU, I want to bring that culture back to my hometown.”

Barnes, a 5-9 forward, went under the radar of college coaches, which she admitted affected her confidence at first. However, that pressure was lifted when she attended a camp this summer at Delaware State and was offered her first scholarship.

“I’m definitely looking forward to not having to worry about figuring out where I’m going to college,” Barnes said. “I’m focused on my team having success and helping my team get better.”

With their college commitments behind them, the trio share a similar approach about what they want to achieve in their final year with the Eagles: earn a state title.

For the past two seasons, Paul VI fell to St. John Vianney in the final round of the NJSIAA tournament. Andrews said the 63-61 defeat last year stung a bit harder.

“We tell our teammates we cannot allow it to happen again,” Andrews said. “But there’s only so many words we can speak. It really depends on our play. It’s a long season and we do have a young team this year.”

There certainly will be adjustments on the floor as the Eagles were led by Hidalgo, who averaged 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.3 steals last season.

But the senior class, which is made up of Banres, Andrews, Baynes, and Marley Ruiz, is committed to getting their team back to the championship.

“We don’t have the same level of intensity I would say that Hannah brought,” Andrews said. “All of us together, I would say equals one of Hannah. She’s one of a kind. But I feel like all of us together can bring that intensity that will push us over the edge.”