It’s easy to get lost these days in the world of high school basketball. So much depends on hype and truthfully being at the right place and right time. The hardest thing for kids to do these days is to take a role. So much is driven by stats and social media. A kid can have a major impact on a team. Sometimes without being a box score junkie. Sometimes a kid’s  impact cannot be reflexed by numbers. Box scores are  like bikinis, they show a little  but not it all. Sometimes the only people that appreciate a kid’s impact are their teammates and coaches. For some kids that is not enough, it’s why they stray from their roles. But LOLA MACRAE is not one of those kids, she is perfectly fine, playiing her role and knowing her teammates appreciate her impact.  For the record, I don’t appreciate Lola McRae’s game,  I love it.

I meet  Lola MacRae a few years ago. She use to attend a few of my training  sessions. But like a lot of kids,  my style wasn’t her cup of tea. She found other places to work on her game. Clearly those places  taught her some great lessons. Like when she was a freshman, she got limited minutes, yet she hung around and didn’t become a drama queen. That’s  because she trusted her coach, Katelyn Linney, she was smart to do so. She brought into Coach Linney’s vision. When other players started running  for door during a bumpy time. Lola MacRae stuck around. She knew Linney could coach and bright days were ahead. See you only do that when you are a real teammate and not just about yourself. You don’t worry about the personal awards and attention. Somewhere during Lola’s development she learned this all important lesson. Just get better and do your job and everyone will benefit is her apparent motto. And that is exactly what Lola MacRae has been doing getting better and watching she and her Ranney teammates benefit.  Ranney is the new “it” team of the future in the Shore. This year they making noise. Next year trust me they will be the NOISE!

Last year Lola MacRae went up significantly in every statistical area. It was impressive. But it didn’t tell the entire story. Lola went from a sub and a role player to a very important and valuable part of RANNEY’S future as a sophomore. The 5’11” versatile guard /forward has become what I like to call glue. You see Lola keeps it all together for Ranney these days as a seasoned junior. She has that relaxing effect on the team. She plays with an intense edge without losing her cool. She is that player who makes the extra pass that doesn’t show up in the paper. She makes Ashley Kreiger life easy with sweet post passes, that only coaches and teammates notice. She sets screens, makes hard cuts and does all the things that make teammates and teams better. She just doesn’t get credit for it. She never forces a bad shot, she pounds the glass,  not for herself but for her team. She knows her team needs this from her big strong athletic body. She understands someone has to do the dirty work and she does it willingly. Lola, knows 4, 8 or the 16 points she scores won’t make the headlines. She knows it won’t win her awards. But it will help her team win games. You see Lola MacRae is a winning player. The type of kid winnings programs need on a roster. She is the glue. The player that keeps it all together when others run out on the team when then goes south as they always do at some point in all players careers. You can count on her because she “MISS RELIABLE”… the ultimate program kid

When you look at “MISS RELIABLE’S ” stats, nothing jumps out. Just her consistency. That’s because she gives you want you need, not what you want. Like recently vs WALL, when Ranney’s three leading scorers fouled out. She just did a little more scoring, a little more rebounding, a little more ball handling and played defense it seemed everywhere. Lola MacRae just did what she always does adjust.  When Ranney knocked off then Top 10 Holmdel. You never saw her name in the paper. But there is a reason two D1 head coaches sitting next to me  said “the kid is quietly having a nice game” and the other said “ she does a lot things you don’t notice, if you’re not paying attention “.  Yeah that Lola MacRae, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 dimes and a steal, it doesn’t look outstanding in a box score. But neither does inane defense on the ball and then helping out on a 6’4” forward. Neither does running for floor for easy baskets when your team hits a major dry spot. Neither does doing an amazing job of feeding the talented baby Ashley Kreiger or getting out of the way of her star guard Hayley Poser. Oh!!! you didn’t know getting out the way is a skill set too? Well it is, you just have to be unselfish with a next level  IQ.

LOLA MACRAE doesn’t sweat the little stuff. If there is anything I remember back from those early training days when she was young, it was this. She always showed up and gave you a full days work, even if she didn’t get much credit for doing so… not much has changed since those days. The only difference is that real soon some college coach is going to discover the 2025 insanely RELIABLE, TALENTED, HUMBLE WINNER!!!

LOLA “MISS RELIABLE” MACRAE OF RANNEY HIGH SCHOOL

MONDAY…. MLK CLINIC