By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
In high school and college basketball, reaching 1,000 career points puts a player in esteemed company. Those who reach this mark have posted several seasons of high-end production and consistent performances. And now, Springfield senior forward Angie Czeremcha is a member of the 1,000 career points club for the second time, having done so at both Springfield College and West Springfield High School, where she accomplished the feat after just three seasons.
Czeremcha notched the milestone-clinching bucket in the closing minutes of a Jan. 22 matchup against Coast Guard, a game the Pride won 77-54. Czeremcha had 26 points in the contest, and the shot was assisted by the only other senior on the team, fellow forward Lindsey Laughlan. Czeremcha started in the high post and quickly moved under the hoop, where she received a lofting pass from Laughlan and converted a layup while falling away from the basket.
Czeremcha has been a high-level and polished scorer for the entirety of her career at Springfield. She averaged 9.8 points per game her first year off the bench, then increased her scoring figures in each of the next three years, all of which have seen her scoring averages sit in double figures.
This development sticks out both on the stat sheet and through the eye test, and Czeremcha recognizes the progress she’s made over her four years at Springfield. As her senior year begins to wind down, this moment also brings back plenty of others she’s experienced in the past few years.
“It really just shows how far I’ve come as a scorer, and it just holds a lot of meaning to me because all of my teammates who have found me the ball,” Czeremcha said. “It just makes me think of every memory I’ve had here at Springfield.”
Czeremcha has built a reputation as a very hard-worker, something that she thinks is a key factor in her year-over-year progression and consistently strong results on the court.
“I’m scoring the most that I have in my career this season, and it just goes to show that obviously hard work paid off,” Czeremcha said. “Being consistent, and my skill has grown. It really means a lot to me.”
In particular, Czeremcha has focused on adding strength to her frame. A solid base is something that is useful for any player, but especially one who plays Czeremcha’s position and embodies her physical style of play.
As someone who spends a lot of time in the post, on both ends of the court, Czeremcha benefits from this added power. On offense, this often manifests itself in being able to fight through the frequent double teams she faces.
“I put a lot of time in, strengthening my body, being able to power through a lot of double teams,” Czeremcha said. “I get doubled a lot, so just being able to finish through that contact.”
For Springfield head coach Naomi Graves, Czeremcha’s ability to score with multiple defenders on her is a significant advantage, one that influences how she coaches close games down the stretch. The combination of Czeremcha’s physical abilities and her leadership qualities have made her a main piece of Springfield’s roster for the past four years, and one of the top players Graves has ever coached.
“Angie is one of the best players that has worn the uniform,” Graves said. “She’s tenacious. Her heart is huge and I often refer to her as our warrior on the team. When we need a basket, I want to go inside to Angie and she produces for most of the time with our team.”
While Czeremcha’s scoring skills have been on a constant uptick, her feel for the game and basketball IQ has been on a similar trajectory. This sense of knowing when to go to the basket and the right times to pass has progressed through experience.
“I think my vision for the game has gotten way better as I’ve gotten older throughout my college career,” Czeremcha said. “I’m able to read the floor well and know when to put the ball in and when to pass it and kick it back out.”
However, the foundation of Czeremcha’s game still resides in her scoring. While her own practice and experience has been a driving force for her improvements, the time she’s spent with Graves over the years has also played an instrumental role in making her better.
“Developing those skills with Coach, we do a lot of one-on-one individuals, and she helped me a lot, whether it’s back-to-the-basket moves or improving my jump shots,” Czeremcha said.
Czeremcha’s teammates also stand out to her as catalysts for her success. Specifically, the guards and other interior players she’s shared the court with stand out to her. The guards’ ability to get her the ball in the post – in the right spot, no less – makes it easier for her to go to work, while playing alongside other forwards and centers has also made her a better player.
“I played with a lot of great people, and I’ve had a lot of great people to look up to,” Czeremcha said. “All of the teammates I’ve had, especially the guards, they’ve found me the ball. They’re very smart, they tell me where to move so I can get the ball and how to post up, things like that.”
“Post players usually play with two posts on the floor, so being able to learn from the amazing post players that I’ve played with has really influenced my game,” Czeremcha added.
As Czeremcha has progressed through Springfield’s program, she’s placed an increased focus on her leadership, and how she can be a positive example for her younger teammates.
Czeremcha recognizes how helpful it was to learn from the Pride’s veterans when she was younger, and now she believes it is time to return the favor.
“Now being in that position as a senior, people are looking up to me,” Czeremcha said. “I’m trying to take all of those skills that I’ve learned from everybody and pour it into my game in terms of scoring, defense and my leadership. I’ve been working a lot this season to try to keep passing on the knowledge that I’ve learned to my teammates.”
(Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics/Flickr)