By
NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
West Bend West girls basketball coach Mark Maley can’t fathom having another student-athlete like Meghan Conley coming around again.
“Meghan is a once in a lifetime player for a coach,” Maley said.
But for him, a player like Conley has come around once before.
Maley graduated from Indianapolis Cathedral High School in 1970. He recalled a teammate he had on the school’s football team that had many similarities to Conley: Steve Schaefer.
“Steve was exactly like Meghan,” Maley recalled. “He acknowledged everyone, whether you were all-state or in a geometry class on the other side of the hall.
“Both of them were at a level above everyone else.”
Area coaches agree.
Conley was the unanimous choice for the 2011-12 Daily News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“That is probably the biggest accomplishment and honor for me,” Conley said about being the unanimous choice. “Everyone sees it across the board. For the coaches to recognize what I’ve done is a great way to top the year. I look back and I can only smile.”
It is also Conley’s second player of the year accolade as she was voted as the girls volleyball player of the year for the second time in the fall.
However, basketball has and always will be her first love when it comes to sports.
“To be the player of the year in the sport I originally love is a cherry on top,” Conley said.
She joined Kewaskum’s Bo Seibel and West Bend East’s Ryan Rohlinger to win the player of the award in more than one sport.
“It’s definitely challenging, but a lot of fun,” Conley said about balancing two sports and academics. “Those up to the challenge can go a long way. It’s a huge accomplishment in my mind.”
This season, Conley rewrote the West record book.
She became the first West girls basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points. Later in the season, she broke current West boys basketball coach Ryan Wietor’s all-time scoring mark Ñ boys and girls. Wietor finished with 1,107 points.
Conley graduates later this year with 1,170 points. And right away, she put out the challenge for a future girls Spartans basketball player.
“It’s there, 1,170, go ahead,” she said, adding she would attend the game if and when her record is broken.
“I see a lot of talent in the young community,” she said.
Conley averaged 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game this season. She was a four-year starter and a three-year captain.
“It takes a special person to do that,” Maley said about Conley being a captain as a sophomore.
Conley, who will go to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in the fall on a volleyball scholarship, is West’s valedictorian as well.
“There won’t be another player like Meghan,” Maley said. “She’s just the whole package.
“Talk about a kid of high character.”
Maley also recalled hearing a scout calling Schaefer “one of the best players he’d ever seen.” And this was on a team, Maley recalled, that had five players go on to full-ride scholarships to play college football, including himself.
Schaefer went to Purdue where he received two varsity letters on the Boilermakers’ football team (1972 and 1973). He was an offensive guard.
“You have pride with playing someone that good and you knew was going to be there for you,” Maley said. “The other team knew how good they were, too. You went into every game thinking you could win.”
Conley’s competitiveness is hard to miss, especially on the volleyball court. But when it came to playing basketball, she had to learn control. As a freshman and sophomore, she struggled with foul trouble, often missing valuable minutes of games.
She still struggled with it as a junior, but showed improvement.
This year, she was at her best. She didn’t foul out of any of the first 22 games of the season, sometimes playing about half the game with four fouls.
However, game No. 23 Ñ her last high school game Ñ she fouled out.
“It was the longest minute-and-a-half of my life,” she recalled.
Maley knew in order for the Spartans to be successful, Conley had to be on the court.
The two, who Conley said they often butted heads at practice, worked on it and talked about it.
“I worked hard on it in the summer,” Conley said. “It was a challenge sometimes. He told me to be a leader, I had to be on the floor.”
She took that message to heart.
“I had to be there for coach because he was there for me,” she added. “I had to play my hardest, but be smarter.”
Conley attributes her competitiveness to her parents, especially her mom.
“She's a perfectionist; a coach on the court who I was sure was smarter than I was,” Maley said. “She had a great feel for the game.”
For as much as Maley admires the type of player, teammate and person Conley is, Conley’s feeling toward Maley is mutual.
“Throughout the six years I’ve known him, we agree to disagree most of the time,” Conley recalled. “It’s been an amazing six years. He’s very passionate about the game and he transferred some of that to me.
“I respect him a lot; I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Conley also said she doesn’t know where she’d be without her twin sister, Colleen.
“She taught me everything I knew,” Meghan Conley said. “She’s been my backbone.”
Conley’s been Maley’s backbone on the basketball court for four years. He said he’s not looking forward to November, the start of girls basketball practice.
“I think when November comes, I’m going to go, ÔWow, she’s not coming back,’” he joked.
Unfortunately, it’s no joke and many Spartans opponents are glad she’ll be gone.
“I know Meghan’s just a wonderful young lady. I love the way she plays hard out there,” East coach Don Gruber said in January after Conley eclipsed 1,000 points. “She’ll knock you on your butt, but she’ll come right back and extend the hand and help you back up.
“Meghan’s a girl that works extremely hard. She deserved every point she got from her freshman year.”
Gruber and the rest of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference can only hope it is a while until someone like Conley comes around again.
Maley can hope for another one soon.
Daily News Sports Editor
West Bend West girls basketball coach Mark Maley can’t fathom having another student-athlete like Meghan Conley coming around again.
“Meghan is a once in a lifetime player for a coach,” Maley said.
But for him, a player like Conley has come around once before.
Maley graduated from Indianapolis Cathedral High School in 1970. He recalled a teammate he had on the school’s football team that had many similarities to Conley: Steve Schaefer.
“Steve was exactly like Meghan,” Maley recalled. “He acknowledged everyone, whether you were all-state or in a geometry class on the other side of the hall.
“Both of them were at a level above everyone else.”
Area coaches agree.
Conley was the unanimous choice for the 2011-12 Daily News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“That is probably the biggest accomplishment and honor for me,” Conley said about being the unanimous choice. “Everyone sees it across the board. For the coaches to recognize what I’ve done is a great way to top the year. I look back and I can only smile.”
It is also Conley’s second player of the year accolade as she was voted as the girls volleyball player of the year for the second time in the fall.
However, basketball has and always will be her first love when it comes to sports.
“To be the player of the year in the sport I originally love is a cherry on top,” Conley said.
She joined Kewaskum’s Bo Seibel and West Bend East’s Ryan Rohlinger to win the player of the award in more than one sport.
“It’s definitely challenging, but a lot of fun,” Conley said about balancing two sports and academics. “Those up to the challenge can go a long way. It’s a huge accomplishment in my mind.”
This season, Conley rewrote the West record book.
She became the first West girls basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points. Later in the season, she broke current West boys basketball coach Ryan Wietor’s all-time scoring mark Ñ boys and girls. Wietor finished with 1,107 points.
Conley graduates later this year with 1,170 points. And right away, she put out the challenge for a future girls Spartans basketball player.
“It’s there, 1,170, go ahead,” she said, adding she would attend the game if and when her record is broken.
“I see a lot of talent in the young community,” she said.
Conley averaged 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game this season. She was a four-year starter and a three-year captain.
“It takes a special person to do that,” Maley said about Conley being a captain as a sophomore.
Conley, who will go to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in the fall on a volleyball scholarship, is West’s valedictorian as well.
“There won’t be another player like Meghan,” Maley said. “She’s just the whole package.
“Talk about a kid of high character.”
Maley also recalled hearing a scout calling Schaefer “one of the best players he’d ever seen.” And this was on a team, Maley recalled, that had five players go on to full-ride scholarships to play college football, including himself.
Schaefer went to Purdue where he received two varsity letters on the Boilermakers’ football team (1972 and 1973). He was an offensive guard.
“You have pride with playing someone that good and you knew was going to be there for you,” Maley said. “The other team knew how good they were, too. You went into every game thinking you could win.”
Conley’s competitiveness is hard to miss, especially on the volleyball court. But when it came to playing basketball, she had to learn control. As a freshman and sophomore, she struggled with foul trouble, often missing valuable minutes of games.
She still struggled with it as a junior, but showed improvement.
This year, she was at her best. She didn’t foul out of any of the first 22 games of the season, sometimes playing about half the game with four fouls.
However, game No. 23 Ñ her last high school game Ñ she fouled out.
“It was the longest minute-and-a-half of my life,” she recalled.
Maley knew in order for the Spartans to be successful, Conley had to be on the court.
The two, who Conley said they often butted heads at practice, worked on it and talked about it.
“I worked hard on it in the summer,” Conley said. “It was a challenge sometimes. He told me to be a leader, I had to be on the floor.”
She took that message to heart.
“I had to be there for coach because he was there for me,” she added. “I had to play my hardest, but be smarter.”
Conley attributes her competitiveness to her parents, especially her mom.
“She's a perfectionist; a coach on the court who I was sure was smarter than I was,” Maley said. “She had a great feel for the game.”
For as much as Maley admires the type of player, teammate and person Conley is, Conley’s feeling toward Maley is mutual.
“Throughout the six years I’ve known him, we agree to disagree most of the time,” Conley recalled. “It’s been an amazing six years. He’s very passionate about the game and he transferred some of that to me.
“I respect him a lot; I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Conley also said she doesn’t know where she’d be without her twin sister, Colleen.
“She taught me everything I knew,” Meghan Conley said. “She’s been my backbone.”
Conley’s been Maley’s backbone on the basketball court for four years. He said he’s not looking forward to November, the start of girls basketball practice.
“I think when November comes, I’m going to go, ÔWow, she’s not coming back,’” he joked.
Unfortunately, it’s no joke and many Spartans opponents are glad she’ll be gone.
“I know Meghan’s just a wonderful young lady. I love the way she plays hard out there,” East coach Don Gruber said in January after Conley eclipsed 1,000 points. “She’ll knock you on your butt, but she’ll come right back and extend the hand and help you back up.
“Meghan’s a girl that works extremely hard. She deserved every point she got from her freshman year.”
Gruber and the rest of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference can only hope it is a while until someone like Conley comes around again.
Maley can hope for another one soon.
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