Gorman star Ellenberg adds to brilliant resume

Aaryn Ellenberg’s basketball resume probably didn’t need any more highlights.

Already a member of two state championship teams and with 2,000 career points and a scholarship to Oklahoma in her pocket, the senior guard  had established herself as one of the best players in the state and among the best to come through Bishop Gorman.

And then came this year’s Class 4A state tournament, and shooting exhibitions that made plenty of jaws drop and lifted the Gaels to another crown.

Ellenberg, who scored 52 points in two games at the state tourney, is the Review-Journal’s Class 4A girls basketball player of the year after leading Gorman (27-5) to its fourth state title in five years.

“Aaryn is by far the best guard I’ve ever coached in college or high school,” said Bishop Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich. “She makes the game look easy and effortless.”

That wasn’t easy, considering Ellenberg nursed a shoulder injury for part of the season, played the region and state tournament with a severely pulled back muscle and was ill for the games at state.

Yet all she did was drain 10 of 15 3-pointers — some from well beyond the arc — in the two games in Reno. She added eight assists, six steals and two blocked shots in wins over Reno and Reed.

“She’s a gamer,” Krmpotich said. “We all climbed on her shoulders.”

Ellenberg, who closed her career with 2,144 points, entered the season without a proven scorer to help shoulder the load. As opponents began to focus on shutting her down, Ellenberg, who averaged 22.8 points per game, worked to get her teammates more involved in the scoring.

That made the Gaels even more dangerous.

“She was seeing a lot of double teams, so she had to figure out a way to find her teammates, and she did,” Krmpotich said. “You expect that from a kid who knows the game.”

It wasn’t just scoring or helping put others in position to score that made Ellenberg valuable. She was a calming influence on a team of young players, who next year hope to continue the program’s success without her.

She also finished with per-game averages of 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 2.2 assists.

“We’re hoping some of the freshmen learned just from watching her,” Krmpotich said. “There are kids who come through the system that simply aren’t replaceable. There’s no replacing an Aaryn Ellenberg.

“She’s got speed, she’s got range, she’s got the quick jump shot. She’s going to do great things at Oklahoma.”