Winter Athlete Spotlights: Week One

Bright Futures for these Star Basketball Players

Senior Girls Basketball Captain Gracie O’Connell is highlighted as a Winter Sports Athlete of the Week.

With winter sports games having begun on January 8th, Abington High School’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee(SAAC) has decided to honor two winter athletes during each week of the season. SAAC will recognize one male and one female athlete per week, from the Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, and Hockey teams. To kick off the first week of these spotlights, the athletes highlighted are Gracie O’Connell and Matt Maguire. 

Gracie O’Connell

Gracie O’Connell is this week’s female athlete spotlight. She is a senior captain on the Varsity Girls Basketball Team as a guard. She has been playing basketball since kindergarten and her favorite memory with the sport was being able to play on the varsity team with both of her sisters during her sophomore year. She chose to play basketball because she had always grown up around her older siblings playing and found it really fun. During her time on the team, her favorite accomplishment was making it to the state quarterfinals during her sophomore year. Along with playing basketball, she plays soccer and runs track, but her favorite sport to watch is hockey. Her favorite class is Crossfit because she thinks it’s a lot of fun and is so different from any other elective or gym class offered at the high school. O’Connell credits her success to her parents who have helped her become the athlete she is today by encouraging her to do her best and work hard, but most importantly have fun and enjoy the sport. As she nears the end of her high school career, her favorite memory from high school is making funny music videos with her soccer team each year. 

Matt Maguire

Basketball star Matt Maguire is our male athlete of the week. The senior captain scored his 1000th career point versus East Bridgewater in his 29-point performance. This feat added to the long list of accolades for Maguire. The state champ is also a 2-time League All Star, 2-time Enterprise All Scholastic, and a Boston Globe All Scholastic. The 6’5″ wing is averaging 24.5 points per game and 14 rebounds per game. He got into basketball after developing a great passion for the game and hasn’t looked back. Maguire recently announced his commitment to Worcester Polytechnic Institute(WPI) to continue his basketball career. He is a great student off the court as well, with his favorite subject being history. After the basketball season, Maguire will be playing football for Abington High in the Fall II season. He credits his success to his family, coaches, and teammates. Matt Maguire is looking to continue his amazing career and add to his exceptional resume.