'I worked my tail off and came in and believed,' Stokes developed into a gem for Assumption
As a sophomore at Assumption in 2021-22, Molly Stokes averaged just seven minutes in a backup role, and she played in only 15 of the Greyhounds’ 25 games.
Last summer, Stokes, a Worcester resident, made a firm decision.
“She didn’t want to sit on the bench anymore,” Assumption coach Kerry Phayre said.
Stokes worked full time in June, July and August as a counselor at Camp Foskett in Charlton, and she got up every morning at 5 to run. In the evening, after her camp shift, she went to Assumption to shoot and focus on basketball drills.
“I just really wanted to win and I wanted to help the team win,” Stokes said. “I had to come in with a different mindset because I didn’t always have the best confidence in myself. I knew if I wanted to play and make an impact, I had to believe in myself. That’s what I did over the summer; I worked my tail off and came in and believed.”
Stokes, a 5-10 guard, has started every game for Assumption during its historic 2022-23 season, and she is the team’s leading scorer (11.4 ppg).
“She is the perfect example (of), ‘If you put in the work, you can get what you want,’” Phayre said.
Assumption (24-4), which set a single-season program record for victories and captured a share of the regular-season Northeast-10 Conference title for the first time, hosts Southern New Hampshire in an NE-10 tourney semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday at Laska Gym.
Assumption graduated five seniors from last year’s 12-win team and did not return any player who averaged more than eight points. The Greyhounds were ninth of 13 teams in the NE-10 preseason poll.
“I don’t think anyone outside of Assumption really had any expectation for us,” Phayre said.
The Greyhounds won their first 10 games of the season and ranked as high as No. 7 in the D2SIDA poll and 13th in the WBCA Division 2 poll.
“They’ve just really bought into the team concept and getting back to our winning culture,” said Phayre, who earlier this season became the all-time winningest coach in Assumption athletics history. “We spent a lot of time talking about it and they totally bought in, so I’m not surprised. I’m just really proud and happy for them because they’ve put in a lot of time and effort for it to all pay off.”
Stokes, who attended St. Peter-Marian for one year and graduated from Worcester Academy, scored a career-high 24 points in a win over Dominican. Assumption’s top outside threat, she leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage and free throw percentage. She is the only Assumption player averaging in double figures for scoring, and she has helped key the Greyhounds’ dominant defense.
Assumption is holding opponents to 50.1 points per game to lead NCAA Division 2. The Greyhounds limited two opponents to under 30 points this season.
“That’s just being committed,” Stokes said. “All of us have been so determined to win and that starts on defense, being in the right spot and locking your player down. That’s just the mindset we’ve all had.”
At the end of January, Assumption had a two-game lead in the NE-10 standings. The Greyhounds dropped two of their next three games.
“After we lost those two games,” Phayre said, “it was, ‘OK, our road to being regular-season champions now just became significantly more difficult, where we had to win our last four games.”
Assumption beat New Haven, Saint Anselm and SNHU at home, then went on the road to Southern Connecticut State and fell behind by 11 at halftime. The Greyhounds rallied for a 56-50 win.
“To be able to come back with the pressure of knowing we’re co-regular-season champions if we win, and if we lose, we’re not,” Phayre said, “for a team that has never been under that pressure before, for us to come back and win that game was just so remarkable.”
Stokes, whose freshman season was canceled by COVID, scored 10 points in Assumption’s 60-44 win over SCSU in the NE-10 quarterfinals Sunday.
Assumption is in the NE-10 semis for the first time since 2013-14. This year marks the Greyhounds’ first winning season since 2016-17, which was when they made their most recent NCAA appearance. Phayre has guided Assumption to seven NCAA berths in her 27 seasons.
As Phayre said, getting back to the program’s winning tradition has been a point of emphasis. This year’s team lacks the “superstar” of some of Phayre’s past great teams, but the 2022-23 Greyhounds are finding plenty of ways to win.
“It’s such a team effort,” Phayre said, “and it takes all of us to be successful. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Mayville honored for work with youth sports
Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney will present the 2023 Youth Coach of Distinction Awards to the six recipients from the region at the Big New England Football Clinic Friday in Newport, R.I.
Mike Mayville of the Charlton/Dudley Rams is the Massachusetts winner of the award.
Mayville has been involved at every level of the Charlton/Dudley Rams Youth Football program, and he serves as the local board president and the Central Mass. director of football operations. Mayville coaches an eighth-grade team that was the Central Mass. Super Bowl runner-up, and he was an assistant on the Massachusetts travel all-star team that finished third in Florida.
In addition to Chesney, UMass coach Don Brown of Spencer and Yale coach Tony Reno of Oxford are among the scheduled speakers and clinicians at the two-day event.
Head of the Class
Worcester State graduate center Erik Bjorn of Holden averaged 5.5 points, 17 rebounds and 2.5 assists to lead the Lancers to the MASCAC Tournament championship and an automatic NCAA Division 3 Tournament berth.
Quinsigamond CC freshman Daniel Edmonds of Fitchburg scored 19 points to help the seventh-seeded Wyverns upset second-seeded Quincy in the quarterfinals of the Region 21 quarterfinals. QCC faces third-seeded Roxbury CC in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday at Holyoke CC.
Assumption freshman midfielder Brayden MacLean of Stow scored two goals in the Greyhounds’ season opening win over Felician.
Western New England senior faceoff midfielder Sean Farland of Fiskdale went 21 for 31 in the X, including a 15-for-19 performance in a 23-12 win over Keene State. Farland had 17 ground balls.
Bentley senior first baseman Eddy Beauregard of Paxton batted .533 and hit three home runs as the Falcons opened the season 3-1.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Offseason grind turned Worcester's Stokes into force for Assumption
