A makeshift gym. Physical scrimmages. Meaningful No. 13: How Maeve McErlane became a baller

For as long as Maeve McErlane can remember, basketball has been more than a game. It’s a way to connect with family members, a way to carry on the legacy of someone lost too soon, and a way to build relationships that last a lifetime.

McErlane hails from a basketball family; both of her parents had played in high school, and her mother continued her career at La Salle from 1993 to 1997. So for the younger McErlane, basketball quickly became her sport of choice. McErlane started playing AAU in third grade, when she played up with the fourth-grade level team in the Comets Girls Basketball program, a choice that has proven to be pivotal in shaping her future.

“It really helped me with my confidence and being able to grow,” McErlane said. “From that moment on, I kind of knew I wanted to play in college and make a career out of it. So, ever since the third grade, I’ve kind of just continued to work on my game and grow as a player.”

McErlane hasn’t taken a break from basketball since then, and that dedication has helped the point guard become a polished all-around player for the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. In both her sophomore and junior seasons, McErlane was selected as first team All-Main Line and All-Delco, and this year, she was honored as a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Her on-court efforts also helped her earn a scholarship to play college basketball in the Big East at DePaul.

McErlane’s successes have not been a surprise, especially to those within the Academy of Notre Dame program.

“She had lofty goals early on, and I was like, ‘Hey go for it,’” coach Lauren Power said. “And she just continued to work, and every year when she came back after her AAU season, you just saw a significant jump in her play.”

A major asset in McErlane’s basketball training and improvement has been her brother, Taig, whom she has grown up competing against. Taig McErlane, a freshman at St. Joseph’s Prep, is three years younger than his sister and able to challenge her on the court.

“He’s definitely made me into a really competitive person, which I appreciate,” Maeve McErlane said. “We’ve been playing one-on-one against each other for as long as I can remember.

“He is only a freshman, but he has a really good game right now, and going up against his physicality, I think he’s beyond his years.”

Having a brother to train with proved to be especially helpful for McErlane during the pandemic, when she was unable to hit the gym with her teammates. During quarantine, the duo turned to online videos in lieu of trainers, and one-on-one in the backyard in place of games.

She also turned the McErlane family basement into a makeshift gym of her own, and it became common practice for Maeve and her brother to go through strength training and ballhandling workouts in a space a fraction of the size of a regulation court.

“Literally, the ball would just be constantly bouncing in our basement for hours between the two of them,” Marnie McBreen-McErlane, their mother, said. “They really drove each other, helped each other, supported each other. That time was so hard, mentally, for both of them, and I think they basically got each other through [the pandemic].”

Taig isn’t the only outside resource that Maeve has utilized to improve her game. Two summers ago, after a routine training session at the 76ers practice facility in Camden, she and her brother filled in during a scrimmage between some college men’s basketball players.

What started as a one-off pickup game soon became a summer habit, and every Tuesday and Thursday, after her Comets AAU practices, Maeve would scrimmage with a group of Division I, Division II, and higher-level high school men’s basketball players. Playing more physical games helped her adjust her own game and become a more versatile playmaker.

“I was always developing a mid-range game, but I kind of started developing it more after that,” she said. “You’re not going to be able to drive against girls who are 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 all the time…being able to stop and pop is a really important part of the game. Again, the physicality, I feel like those scrimmages kind of took my game to another level, especially when driving and being strong with my dribbling.”

It wasn’t until this year that the Academy of Notre Dame returned to a full season, having played an abbreviated nine-game season a year ago. McErlane’s training translated to game results. It also helped her reach a significant milestone in her high school career.

In a Jan. 25 matchup against Episcopal Academy, McErlane scored 26 points, a total just above the 24 necessary to reach the 1,000-point mark. When she made the shot to hit the magic number, the full house at the Academy of Notre Dame was there to see it, and McErlane was able to share the moment with her family, friends, and teammates.

The night also marked a full-circle moment for the McErlane family. McBreen-McErlane finished her college career at La Salle just 13 points away from 1,000 after a torn Achilles ended her final season. Though the pandemic could have been a threat to Maeve’s pursuit of the benchmark, in the end, she was able to mark her freshman-year goal as complete.

McErlane is nursing a knee injury that has sidelined her for several games down the stretch. But while the injury may temporarily stop McErlane from scoring 20-plus in games, it hasn’t stopped her from serving as the leader and voice for the Academy of Notre Dame as it makes its playoff push. It has also brought to the forefront the reasons McErlane’s legacy at the school extends beyond any individual award or accolade.

“Watching her handle every challenge [and] every adversity that’s been thrown her way and [watching] her overcome it, that will be the one thing that stands out,” Power said.

Legacy has been a big part of what drives McErlane in her relationship with basketball. After wearing No. 3 for much of her career, she embraced No. 13. That number combines her No. 3 and the No. 1 worn by Taig McErlane’s close friend and teammate Ny’Ques Farlow-Davis, who was killed in a 2020 shooting. Wearing No. 13, which she will also wear at DePaul starting next year, is her way of carrying on Farlow-Davis’ legacy.

“Ny’Ques always had this beast mentality,” McErlane said. “So, I feel like when I’m wearing the No. 13 and have this No. 1 on my jersey, it gives me more of this beast mentality in playing for Ny’Ques and always working hard every minute of the game.”

While many Philly-area recruits choose to stay local for college, for McErlane, there was no doubt about it: Doug Bruno’s DePaul program was the perfect fit.

“I kind of wanted to get out of the area [and] experience change and something new,” McErlane said. “I feel like Chicago is definitely a place where [I can] grow as a player and person. I think Coach Bruno and the rest of the coaching staff will also be able to elevate my game in college.

“I knew that this place could be home for me. There was not one cross of doubt that went through my mind.”