Neumann Goretti’s Carryn Easley went from hidden gem to Catholic League MVP

Carryn Easley prefers to not be in the limelight. Her mother, Miyah, knows this, which is why for Neumann Goretti’s senior night, she made the girls’ basketball team sunglasses with the school’s logo on them to help shield the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP from all of the attention.

And they came in handy after Sunday’s PCL final. The point guard joined her teammates in a celebration huddle after beating Archbishop Carroll, 50-43, for the PCL title at the Palestra. She was handed a pair of sunglasses that she wore for the remainder of the afternoon.

“The sunglasses are kind of her trademark,” Miyah Easley said. “But a lot of people don’t know that she wears them because she has social anxiety. … I love that I could kind of be her safe place to make those moments more comfortable for her.”

The Saints faithful chanted “MVP, MVP!” as the Fordham-bound Easley made the final cut of the net, then donned it around her neck. It has been a long journey for Easley, who’s been considered an undersized 5-foot-4 guard, and winning Neumann Goretti a PCL crown for the first time since 2015 was the cherry on top to silence the doubters.

She scored 16 points and her fellow guard Amya Scott added 13.

The two have been friends since the fourth grade, playing on AAU teams together, from Philly Triple Threat to K-Low Elite, and as the only seniors on this year’s squad, who both surpassed 1,000 points, they are a key reason the team went undefeated in league play (11-0) and earned a trip to the Palestra.

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But the pair wouldn’t say they are the star players. On coach Andrea Peterson’s roster, it is a collective effort, and Neumann Goretti saw that last year after finishing the regular season 8-3, but falling to Nazareth Academy in the PCL quarterfinals.

Getting to the Palestra this year was the goal, but the Saints needed everyone aligned with that vision. That’s where the leadership of Scott and Easley factored in.

“For us to be successful, I had to be a leader,” said Easley, who’s averaging 14 points and five assists this season. “I’m the one controlling the offense.”

Peterson added: “They told us we’re too small, told us we couldn’t do it, they told us teams are hard to beat twice, but I know what I have inside my locker room. This is a team-ran program. They run the team.”

Peterson saw Easley as a gem. Her freshman year, however, was a difficult transition. It was her first time attending a Catholic school coming from Science Leadership Academy’s middle school, a public school. She needed to adjust academically and athletically to keep pace with a college-style program that practices seven days a week, with two holidays off.

Easley, who once asked her mother for a basketball court for Christmas as a 3-year-old, aspired to get better, and she did. Her size may have been a concern for college coaches, but she made up for it with her explosiveness to drive into the paint while also being a facilitator. Fordham noticed that potential as well.

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“The end of her sophomore year, she started to get discouraged because she was getting calls and looks [from colleges], but they wouldn’t offer her [scholarships],” Miyah Easley said. “We told her, ‘You have to stop letting that interfere with how you play. Just play as hard as you can — you have the skill and talent — do what you’ve got to do and it will come.’”

If there’s one thing Easley doesn’t do, it’s comment on what others think about her size and game. She would rather show them on the court.

“I’ve got a lot of love and support, and I love this so much,” Easley said after Sunday’s victory. “I’m really excited. It’s been a long season, a long high school career, and I’m glad that this season has been successful for our whole team.”