Maggie Connolly: Assisting And Helping Others In A Winning Environment

"I love assisting people and I love being the person that people can turn to when they need help."

Well, Maggie Connolly was needed in a big way during the second half against the Buffalo Bulls. Facing an eight-point deficit, the Tigers needed an offensive boost and the junior captain registered eight of her 11 points in the second half and overtime. She included the last-second steal in overtime that sealed the program's first overtime win in over five years.

Connolly is used to winning. The junior has helped Princeton win almost 80 percent of its games during her time here along with two Ivy League titles. In high school, she helped Ursuline Academy to three state titles.

"In high school, our motto was the team is bigger than me," said Connolly. "As soon I got here (at Princeton), it was the exact same mentality in what every individual brings to make the team better as a whole. I love playing team basketball and five together as a whole. I think that is the key to success."

There was an adjustment for Connolly as she made the transition to the college game. She is an undersized guard who had to also deal with the speed of the game, but there was someone who really helped her.

"Playing with Carlie (Littlefield) really benefited me," said Connolly. "I loved playing and learning from her. She's a really talented point guard so I've been able to learn a lot about the college game from her like adjusting my passes that you can make in high school, but not in college along with making the right reads for who you're playing with."

Connolly played in 28 games as a freshman as the Tigers went on to secure the Ivy League title and conference tournament crown. Princeton dropped a close battle in the NCAA Tournament to No. 17 Kentucky, 82-77.

The next month, former head coach Courtney Banghart was named head coach at North Carolina. A month later, Carla Berube was named head coach at Princeton.

"It was a pretty crazy summer of not knowing what to expect," said Connolly. "As soon as we got here, Coach (Berube) was awesome and I think we really bought into what she was trying to teach us, her values and how she is as a person. It was part of what made us so successful. I love playing for Coach Berube and I love the values that she brings and the team mentality that she values."

The 2019-20 season was the best year in program history. The Tigers finished the regular season at 26-1 overall and on a 22-game winning streak. Their win streak was the second longest in the NCAA behind No. 1 South Carolina. Princeton also had the No. 9 NCAA RPI, the highest in Ivy history.

Connolly was a key bench cog for the Tigers that season, playing over 21 minutes a game. She saw statistical improvements in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.

"That season was about confidence and knowing my teammates and coaches trusted me to take those shots," said Connolly. "Over the previous summer, it was a great opportunity to work on individual skill like my three-pointer and finishes. As an undersized guard, you have to able finish in different ways so that was definitely something I worked on."

Unfortunately, the 2019-20 season ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually led to the 2020-21 campaign being cancelled. Connolly took the gap year in 2020-21. Despite not being at Princeton, Connolly was always close by.

She lived with Julia Cunningham and Ellie Mitchell in an apartment about 10 minutes away from campus. In the fall semester, Kaitlyn Chen and Chet Nweke lived in the apartment directly beneath them. With Paige Morton living just an hour away, there was a lot of 3v3 games and a lot of time in the gym.

"At the end of the day, we wanted to experience Princeton basketball for four complete years and that year allowed us to remember why we're doing this and why it's important to us," said Connolly.

Prior to the 2020-21 season, Connolly was named a captain along with Cunningham and Abby Meyers.

"It definitely means a lot (to be named captain) and I care a lot about this team and the success it has," said Connolly. "I want to be the best leader I can be not just for the underclassmen but the upperclassmen as well."

Connolly has seen another uptick in playing time this season. She averages over 26 minutes a night, registering 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 rebounds. Her impact is felt on the court and certainly off the court as well.

"I think being a point guard you have to see and know everything that is going on and helping people out," said Connolly. "I think that translates off the court too and I just want to be great teammate."

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