It takes awhile for a kid to grab my attention as a player. That’s because I have basically seen it all at this point. I never pay attention when people tell me how good a kid is, that’s because usually there is an agenda behind their words. That’s why I prefer to form my own opinion about a player. More importantly I don’t make a judgement about that kid until I’ve seen them multiple times. Which brings me to Delaney Finnegan of Pennsylvania. I think I’ve formed an opinion about her and that opinion is, this kid can’t miss!
When get asked about the ability of a player, I rarely make a mistake. That’s because In most cases I really get to know a kid that trains with me. I can dig a little deeper than most. I know if the kid has a work ethic or if they are a gym. You see there is a difference. I get to know the competitive nature of a kid. I get to see what there attitude looks like when you coach them hard. I get to see how they relate to their peers. I find out if the parents are winning parents or ones that will destroy your culture from the stands. After all that, I get to the talent because at the end of the day without the talent, all that other stuff doesn’t matter. Well Delaney Finnegan has all that other stuff and a big talent. It’s why after watching her everyday for two weeks I know she will be wearing a D1 uniform somewhere, one day.
Delaney Finnegan is a 2023 who plays for PA state Champ and nationally ranked ArchBishop Wood. I didn’t know a thing about her or her high until recently. In fact it took me two weeks to learn her name. That’s because I usually don’t go out of my way to really get to know a kid until I see the work ethic and the commitment. Anyone can fake it for a day or two. But over time it hard to fool me. So when Delaney Finnegan showed up at point guard, I didn’t know anything about her. Yet by the end of the week, she had won me and every coach in gym over with her work ethic and total commitment. You see it was not until the end of the week did I realize she drove two hours each way to attend camp. I was not sure what was more impressive that week. Her total commitment to the game or her willingness to wake up every morning at 5am. I just knew she was my type of kid. After camp her mother asked me about the NBS camp. I told her it would be a great camp for Delaney to measure herself. So she agreed to attend NBS CAMP and it was then I found out, all I need to know about Delaney Finnegan .
Every morning at 7.20 I arrived at NBS CAMP. Waiting for me sat a car with PA plates in the from of Hoop Group. In that car out popped Delaney Finnegan, fresh off a two hour ride. In the gym we went for a 90 min shooting session. This went on all week. Then it was NBS camp from 9am-2.30pm with a 30 min lunch break at noon. After camp it was another workout for 2 hours. To say Delaney’s work ethic was mind blowing was a understatement. In fact for 2 weeks Delaney Finnegan worked harder than any kid I saw the entire summer. It’s not that she worked hard. It was how she worked that was so different. The passion and focus was obscene in every way. She simply seemed to have unlimited energy and more importantly was a sponge. Just her work ethic alone makes Delaney Finnegan different than most kids. But there has been lots of hard workers who unfortunately lack talent. Hard work is not enough sometimes. In the case of Miss Finnegan that is not a issue. That because she is dripping with talent head to toe.
There were 54 Division One players at NBS camp #2 this year. But only 20 on any given day get to play on the main court. It didn’t take Delaney long to find herself on that court . On Day 2 she joined 19 other D1 players on the main court. That’s because her body is strong and college ready right now. It’s because she has a next level basketball IQ to go along with that strong body. But what I like most is that she is physically aggressive on both sides of the ball. Delaney brings it physically. But it’s the scoring ability that coaches will love. She is that dying breed of pure shooters who can also get to the rim. She has the ability to get defenders off balance with shot fakes, ball fakes and jabs. Her offensive package is so next level because of other special ingredient… she can finish at the rim, in the lane of from the three point line. In other words she is a highly skilled three level scorer.
I will never call a kid a D1 player unless I see them on the floor vs multiple D1 kids at one time. I did a little research on Delaney Finnegan, I found out her high school, Archbishop Wood plays in one of the best conferences in America. She has a teammate who is considered one of the best players in the country. So Delaney is no stranger to competition. But I had to see it myself. I needed to see her against the killers. I have and I am confident she is going to make some D1 school very happy one day. Now she has some work to do still. But between her work ethic, raw talent and athletic ability she should make for a excellent player at the next level. Clearly attending an elite high school will also help in her development. Delaney Finnegan is in position to do big things in the future.
The next few weeks Delaney will be working on her game getting ready for high school. Her mother Colleen has given her all a kid can ask for. She plays for the Philly Belles organization and it’s clear she’s hungry to get better. That will certainly happen… just like me learning her name and getting to know her. She is confident and has a positive attitude, she is the total package. Delaney Finnegan is going to be some college coaches dream one day … THAT YOU CAN BET ON !
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