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After spending five years away from her hometown while playing NCAA Division I women’s basketball and earning her degree, Isabella Hunt rejoined the Bishop McCort Catholic High School athletic program Thursday.
Hunt recently finished her college career at East Tennessee State University. The former Crimson Crushers two-time all-state player had utilized her extra year of basketball eligibility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, she graduated from Mount St. Mary’s College, where Hunt was a three-year starter and appeared in two NCAA Division I tournaments.
PHOTO GALLERY | 'Do different things': Bishop McCort Catholic Academy students learn scuba-diving skills
Students in the ACE (Academic Course Enhancement) Program at Bishop McCort Catholic Academy, East and West campuses, put their scuba-diving skills to the test Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Zamias Aquatic Center.
Bishop McCort Catholic Athletic Director Erika Strittmatter said Hunt will be an assistant girls basketball coach under coach John Hahn. She also will assist Strittmatter in the athletic department.
“We’re excited to have her back,” said Strittmatter, a first-year Bishop McCort AD who also was an assistant coach on the Crimson Crushers’ PIAA Class 2A runner-up girls team.
Hunt’s college experience and the resiliency she displayed during a stellar high school career will help young student-athletes, Strittmatter said. Hunt’s senior year at Bishop McCort twice was interrupted – first by knee surgery and later when COVID-19 ended the season with the surging Crimson Crushers in the state quarterfinals.
“It’s been a long five years, but five of the best years of my life,” Hunt said. “My college career has definitely been a blessing. I won two championships and went to March Madness twice. I couldn’t ask for much more out of a career than that.”
At Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Hunt started three seasons, scoring 730 points and grabbing 721 rebounds.
The Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years (2021, 2022).
A four-year dean’s list student-athlete and Northeast Conference all-academic performer, Hunt opted to play her fifth season at East Tennessee State University in the Southern Conference. Her role changed significantly.
“I transferred for my last year. It was a tough decision, but I felt it was time for me to move on and grow a bit as a person more so than as a player,” said Hunt, who is pursuing a MBA after earning a degree in sports management with minors in business and psychology.
“I was playing in a completely different role, something I wasn’t used to,” Hunt said. “The biggest adjustment was getting used to that role. I went from being a three-year starter at the Mount, playing 30 minutes a game, to coming off the bench.
“It took a little bit to get used to that, but once I embraced that role it made it a lot easier.”
Penn State's Frozen Four appearance features Johnstown-area connections
Two veteran area high school hockey coaches, once rivals but now on the same bench, will square off again in a nostalgic-themed competition tied to the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey Frozen Four.
Hunt had 140 points and 140 rebounds while averaging 14.4 minutes of playing time with the 17-13 Buccaneers.
Adjusting to obstacles and adversity isn’t new to Hunt, a 5-foot-11 forward.
After earning all-state status as a junior at Bishop McCort, Hunt tore her ACL late in the summer before her senior year.
She didn’t play until mid-February. Back in the lineup, Hunt helped the Crimson Crushers win eight of their final 10 games following an 8-9 start to the season without her.
The Crimson Crushers beat District 7 Bishop Canevin and District 9 Keystone in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs when the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season. Despite the short resume in 2019-20, Hunt repeated as an all-state selection.
“Honestly, it never felt like my high school career ended because it ended so abruptly and I didn’t have that closer,” Hunt said. “When you’ve had one stage of your athletic career taken away from you abruptly twice in one year, it makes you appreciate the opportunity I was given and all the hard work I put in to get where I got.”
Hahn believes Hunt’s experience will benefit a Bishop McCort team coming off a District 6 championship and state runner-up season. The Crimson Crushers will return a strong nucleus from a 26-6 squad.
“Resilient is definitely the word for Bella,” Hahn said. “Her senior year, she tears her ACL, comes back and helps us win six in a row and eight of 10 games.
“I felt real good about our chances to make the final four that year with Bella,” Hahn said.
“COVID shut it down. Bella took it in stride. It was one of the hardest things I had to do, to tell the girls they were shutting it down after we made the Elite Eight.”
Hunt said those lessons helped her navigate the college experience.
“Coach Hahn and the staff helped me manage my mental game,” Hunt said. “I did really good academically, and I credit McCort for that. There were no surprises in college with the intensity and how to study and when to study. McCort made the transition from high school to college easier.”
Now, Hunt looks to give back to student-athletes who might benefit from her experiences.
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
Continue reading...
Hunt recently finished her college career at East Tennessee State University. The former Crimson Crushers two-time all-state player had utilized her extra year of basketball eligibility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, she graduated from Mount St. Mary’s College, where Hunt was a three-year starter and appeared in two NCAA Division I tournaments.
PHOTO GALLERY | 'Do different things': Bishop McCort Catholic Academy students learn scuba-diving skills
Students in the ACE (Academic Course Enhancement) Program at Bishop McCort Catholic Academy, East and West campuses, put their scuba-diving skills to the test Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's Zamias Aquatic Center.
Bishop McCort Catholic Athletic Director Erika Strittmatter said Hunt will be an assistant girls basketball coach under coach John Hahn. She also will assist Strittmatter in the athletic department.
“We’re excited to have her back,” said Strittmatter, a first-year Bishop McCort AD who also was an assistant coach on the Crimson Crushers’ PIAA Class 2A runner-up girls team.
Hunt’s college experience and the resiliency she displayed during a stellar high school career will help young student-athletes, Strittmatter said. Hunt’s senior year at Bishop McCort twice was interrupted – first by knee surgery and later when COVID-19 ended the season with the surging Crimson Crushers in the state quarterfinals.
“It’s been a long five years, but five of the best years of my life,” Hunt said. “My college career has definitely been a blessing. I won two championships and went to March Madness twice. I couldn’t ask for much more out of a career than that.”
At Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Hunt started three seasons, scoring 730 points and grabbing 721 rebounds.
The Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years (2021, 2022).
A four-year dean’s list student-athlete and Northeast Conference all-academic performer, Hunt opted to play her fifth season at East Tennessee State University in the Southern Conference. Her role changed significantly.
“I transferred for my last year. It was a tough decision, but I felt it was time for me to move on and grow a bit as a person more so than as a player,” said Hunt, who is pursuing a MBA after earning a degree in sports management with minors in business and psychology.
“I was playing in a completely different role, something I wasn’t used to,” Hunt said. “The biggest adjustment was getting used to that role. I went from being a three-year starter at the Mount, playing 30 minutes a game, to coming off the bench.
“It took a little bit to get used to that, but once I embraced that role it made it a lot easier.”
Penn State's Frozen Four appearance features Johnstown-area connections
Two veteran area high school hockey coaches, once rivals but now on the same bench, will square off again in a nostalgic-themed competition tied to the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey Frozen Four.
Hunt had 140 points and 140 rebounds while averaging 14.4 minutes of playing time with the 17-13 Buccaneers.
Adjusting to obstacles and adversity isn’t new to Hunt, a 5-foot-11 forward.
After earning all-state status as a junior at Bishop McCort, Hunt tore her ACL late in the summer before her senior year.
She didn’t play until mid-February. Back in the lineup, Hunt helped the Crimson Crushers win eight of their final 10 games following an 8-9 start to the season without her.
The Crimson Crushers beat District 7 Bishop Canevin and District 9 Keystone in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs when the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season. Despite the short resume in 2019-20, Hunt repeated as an all-state selection.
“Honestly, it never felt like my high school career ended because it ended so abruptly and I didn’t have that closer,” Hunt said. “When you’ve had one stage of your athletic career taken away from you abruptly twice in one year, it makes you appreciate the opportunity I was given and all the hard work I put in to get where I got.”
Hahn believes Hunt’s experience will benefit a Bishop McCort team coming off a District 6 championship and state runner-up season. The Crimson Crushers will return a strong nucleus from a 26-6 squad.
“Resilient is definitely the word for Bella,” Hahn said. “Her senior year, she tears her ACL, comes back and helps us win six in a row and eight of 10 games.
“I felt real good about our chances to make the final four that year with Bella,” Hahn said.
“COVID shut it down. Bella took it in stride. It was one of the hardest things I had to do, to tell the girls they were shutting it down after we made the Elite Eight.”
Hunt said those lessons helped her navigate the college experience.
“Coach Hahn and the staff helped me manage my mental game,” Hunt said. “I did really good academically, and I credit McCort for that. There were no surprises in college with the intensity and how to study and when to study. McCort made the transition from high school to college easier.”
Now, Hunt looks to give back to student-athletes who might benefit from her experiences.
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
Continue reading...
