Van Nguyen was an ideal student-athlete in the St. Mary’s High School girls basketball program. She began her career as a freshman, worked hard on her game in the off-season, and became an important contributor to the team’s success. Nguyen said she has immensely enjoyed her four-year athletic and academic experience at St. Mary’s.
Nguyen, who lives in Lynn, played her last high school basketball game for the Spartans and it ended in a 46-40 victory over Bishop Fenwick in the Catholic Central League Cup final.
Nguyen was a key part of a terrific senior class that helped St. Mary’s win a state title in 2020 and claim more than 80 victories overall. The 2018-19 team also won in the Garden and played in the state final in Worcester.
Nguyen spoke about her career after joining the team in accepting the first Catholic Central League Cup Feb. 20 at the Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.
“I just want to say thank you to Coach Newhall and Mr. Ridley for everything that he has done – he helped me out through all four years and it’s been a long run, but I finally made it,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen said the key to her improving her basketball skills was playing basketball all year round. “I worked hard in the off season and I made sure to stay close and around and kept playing and did whatever Coach Newhall said,” related Nguyen.
Among the highlights was playing (and excelling and winning) at the Boston Garden.
Nguyen played basketball for the Breed Middle School team and traveled to various parks in Lynn for games. Often times, she was the only girl competing on the court.
With the encouragement and support of her mentor, Jim Ridley, Nguyen enrolled at St. Mary’s High School.
St. Mary’s Coach Jeff Newhall lauded Nguyen for her contributions to the program over the past four years.
“Van is just a great kid who worked hard and was admired and respected by all of her teammates,” said Newhall. “Our senior class really stepped up this year during a challenging year and Van set a great example for the underclassmen with her dedication, positive attitude, and team spirit.”
Nguyen said she is considering Emmanuel and Salem State for college in the fall.