This is a story about a Break Away. This is a story about a kid making the great escape. It’s not easy to make a great escape. Being comfortable and knowing what to expect are always nice and easy. Fooling yourself is also easy to do. Staying part of an Inner Circle that can’t see the light is alway safe. Everyone is the same and nobody steps into the spotlight. It’s an easy formula for many. Shayne Eldridge of Wall High School could be doing what many of her friends are doing these days, finishing up there last year of competing sports. But instead she’s on her way to CALDWELL UNIVERSITY. That’s because she made the great escape look easy
When Shayne Eldridge was a freshman she put up big numbers for Wall High School. She had multiple 20+ scoring games and was certainly one of the best players the school had seen in years. But when the All Freshman team was announced she was not on it. Some were upset. One day someone asked me why she wasn’t on the team. I told them the level of competition didn’t match the stats. They got upset and said that Shayne was as good as any freshman. My response was that’s easy to fix bring her to NBS. You see I didn’t believe there was a chance in hell Shayne would set foot in NBS. But soon I found out I was wrong.
You see, I often watch kids put up big numbers against suspect competition all the time. I watch kids play low level AAU all the time. What happens is those around them convince the kid what they are doing is special. Their INNER CIRCLE are not kids who are high achievers athletically. These kids tend to stick together. Moan and groan about lack of attention. I thought Shayne Eldridge was one of those kids. But when she showed up at NBS I was surprised. I also didn’t think she be around long. She didn’t get much attention, she had to walk around the gym knowing most of the kids had D1 offers. She had to feel like an outsider and her ego was about to be tested.
“Tiny please coach me hard, I can take it”…. “Tiny can you give me better matchups I want to get better” … these are the words of Shayne Eldridge to me. “I will see you at after school shooting” ... this is the attitude of Shayne Eldridge. You see Shayne Eldridge is hungry. She wants it more than anyone realizes. She doesn’t attend a powerhouse school. But she has help turned Wall into a Top ten contender in the Shore. She left her safe AAU environment to go play for the Shoreshots, that’s because she wanted to get a scholarship to college. She needed a proving ground. You see I was wrong about Shayne Eldridge. I was wrong about her work ethic and competitive nature. She just needed a platform to prove her worth. She had to roll with a few big dogs to prove her game was legit and that’s exactly what she has done. She needs less than 200 points to score 1000 points this year. She’ll do that by January with her eyes closed. Her game has come full circle. Yes she has 199 threes in her career. But her game is so much more. Her passing, ball handling and defense has improved each year. She has done this by simply working and grinding without much fanfare or love. Well it all has paid off because CALDWELL UNIVERSITY IS GETTING INSTANT HELP NEXT YEAR.
SHAYNE ELDRIDGE did all the things kid in her situation rarely do. She was ok being in a gym full of killers. She was okay not getting the attention. She was ok not being the star of the gym. She was ok with others getting the social media hype. She was ok with all this despite being a great player in her own right. Shayne Eldridge had multiple scholarship offers before committing to CALDWELL UNIVERSITY. She earned each one of them. She earned with her blood sweat and tears. She earned by coming to the gym and train only to then rush to her job. She earned it by hustling for rides rather than make excuses. She earned it by giving all a kid could to make a dream come true. What nobody understands most about Shayne Eldridge is this… her mental toughness and ability to handle adversity and set backs are a gift from god.
Shayne’s parents Lynette Eldridge and her dad Harrison not only support their daughter. But also have believed in her, when nobody else did. Her step dad Dan Harrison knows that Shayne has taken too long to get her do. It was he who introduced her to the game. But here time has finally arrived. The acknowledgment and recognition is here for her to finally take well deserved bow. There has to be a measure of satisfaction. The journey Shayne has been on has not been easy. It’s never easy for her family to watch her excel and not get get credit. But the credit in this case comes from now knowing her education is paid for. The satisfaction comes in her parents knowing their daughter gets to play college basketball at a program with big hopes and dreams. Just like Shayne had when she picked up a basketball for the first time.
Mary Chambers is a star maker and Lauren Bowler is her side kick. Together they have perfected the art of teaching and building a kid’s confidence. Not with empty words but with truth and education. Shayne Eldridge got an education playing for the two coaches.Tracey Sabin0 ShoreShots delivered for Shayne, like they do for every kid who is ShoreShotHer game has expanded and Coach Wisher the Head Coach at Wall is going to very happy with her star guard. She has given Shayne the ball from day one. This year Shayne Eldridge is going to truly reward her for her trust though the her journey.
So the breakaway is complete. Shayne Eldridge changed her environment and inner circle. She did the hard things. She left behind hope and found reality… the reality is CALDWELL UNIVERSITY
CONGRATS TO AN AMAZING KID… and for the record, she’ll be ready from day ☝️
Shayne Eldridge breakaway….
