St. John's Potent All-Around Game Includes Abilities To Direct, Dazzle

By Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com

February 25, 2022

HOWELL — Maeve St. John is, as an opposing coach described her, “the straw that stirs the drink” on the Howell girls basketball team.

And, at first glance, the evidence backs that assertion.

She is the team’s captain, leading scorer, one of its top rebounders, the school record-holder for assists and she also paces the Highlanders in charges taken, steals and blocked shots.

But, she said, her teammates keep her in line and focused, and that has made the difference in a Howell team that has beaten Division 1 powers Hartland and Wayne Memorial this season, with a possible rematch with Hartland in next week’s District tournament.

The difference?

“I accept criticism a lot better,” St. John says. “Last year, I was definitely more hard-headed. I feel I’m taking so much more advice from my teammates, and they hold me much more accountable. They can help me be better.”

What she’s been good at this season is helping her teammates be better, finding an open teammate, which in turn opens up more shots for herself.

Asked if she prefers scoring to feeding her teammates, St. John is quick with an answer.

“Assists are way better,” she said. “It's fun watching your teammates score, going in and getting a bucket and hitting shots. That’s exciting.”

St. John is averaging 15 points per game, with a robust 7.2 assists per contest and nearly three steals per as well.

“She’s better at harnessing her energy, and not feeling she has to be the one who does it all,” Howell coach Tim Olszewski said. “Maybe it’s an increased trust in her teammates, but she’s understanding that if she can draw an extra defender to her, then one of her teammates is open.”

St. John also occasionally makes a flashy move for no other reason than she can, sometimes looking over at the Howell bench with a smirk on her face.

“If you’re not trying to have fun out there, you’re not going to have fun,” she said. “I’m always looking to have fun out there. I’m always competing, trying new moves. Sometimes, they work. Sometimes they don’t, and I’m on the bench. Either way, it’s fun to try new things, to see what you’re capable of.”

That keeps opposing coaches, and her teammates, on alert, especially when St. John sees an opening and whips the ball to a teammate that may or may not be anticipating the pass.

“That happens a lot,” teammate Molly Duerloo said, chuckling. “But we capitalize on that. Her (on-court) vision has become better.”

Make no mistake about it: St. John has that rare combination of talent, curiosity, and joy one doesn’t often see in a top player.

“Boy, can she play this game,” Olszewski said. “She’s one of those special, special players. She just is. I don’t know how else to say it. She’s got the ability and the head about herself, and it’s going to be wonderful to watch her for four years at Northwood, because I think she’s going to excel there.”

Brighton coach Paul Ash, after watching her in a game in mid-February, also was impressed.

“I love watching that kid,” he said. “I’d pay money to watch that kid play. She’s a real, real competitor. She’s a fun kid to watch.”

St. John has little regret when it comes to sending up long-distance shots (she routinely launches 3-point tries from well beyond the arc), but also has no qualms about driving the lane or going after rebounds.

“She just plays at a high level,” Hartland coach Don Palmer said. “She’s exciting, she’s aggressive, and those kids just follow along,”

In addition to leading her team in most statistical categories, she also works closely with teammates in practice and even during games.

“She holds everyone accountable in practice,” Duerloo said. “She pushes everyone to be the best player they can be. She picks me up during a game if I’m not going good. She’ll say, ‘Hey you’ve got this. Next play. Believe in yourself.’”

The support, St. John said, goes both ways.

“They hold me accountable,” she said. “There are definitely some looks, some cussing out, ‘Hey, let’s go.’ That kind of thing. It’s a mutual respect. I think this group is something special. We’re all so close. We have all these inside jokes. Bus rides are fun. We feel so confident when we’re with each other.

“My teammates fuel me,” she added. “You look at someone going 110 percent, if you’re telling them to do something and you’re only going 80 percent, you’re not going to get any respect or anything done.”

St. John has signed with Northwood University, where she is considering majoring in personal finance or sports management.

“I love a lot of business-related things,” she said.

Right now, her increased understanding of her role as point guard and the possibilities it presents is a key reason why the Highlanders have won 14 of their last 15 games after a 1-3 start.

“She’s understanding the bigger picture,” Olszewski said. “There’s a reason why that particular shot or action, even though it might seem small or trite right now, how it could have a massive effect on the outcome of a game. And I think she’s excelled in that this year, understanding those situations.”

And, he said, St. John has been much more communicative with her teammates in helping them understand.

“Maeve’s always had an excellent basketball IQ and could always read situations,” Olszewski said. “When we talk about her being a leader, it’s about calming things down as opposed to throwing kerosene on the fire. I’ve also noticed an increase in her keeping herself accountable. Many times this year, she’s said, ‘That’s on me, team.’ She’s stepped to the forefront, which is what leaders do. She’s done a great job harnessing that energy and knowing when to unleash it and when to bring it back in a little bit.”

For St. John, it’s not so much being the straw that stirs the drink as being the leader of a pack of Highlanders willing to follow her for as long as possible.

But not without a little whimsy. Late in that mid-February game against Brighton, she drove the lane into a group of Bulldogs and somehow drew a foul on a shot that was off the mark. As she emerged, she looked at Olszewski and grinned.

“It was a forced shot, more like, ‘Oooh I got lucky on that play,’” she said. “I felt like I got bailed out on that play, and I looked at him and we chuckled.”

Howell had the game well in hand at that point. What if the game had been close?

“He wouldn't have been smiling,” St. John said, then added with a grin, “I probably would have still done it.”

PHOTOS Howell’s Maeve St. John has shown she can do it all – drive to the basket, shoot from the perimeter and find the open teammate. (Photos by Dan Zeppa.)

Countdown to Calvin: Girls Report Week 1

December 4, 2017

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The 2017-18 season is barely a week old, and we already have plenty to talk about – in addition to a new name for our weekly girls basketball report.

Each Monday, we’ll update you on five results from the previous week that made the biggest headlines. We’ll introduce two teams in each class that should be on your radar as you look ahead to league races and even farther down the road to the start of the MHSAA tournament at the end of February. We’ll also give you five games of note coming up over the next seven days, and why you should check them out.

So let the countdown to this season’s Finals weekend at Calvin College begin. These reports are based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com – to offer corrections, email me at [email protected]. Countdown to Calvin is powered by MI Student Aid.

Week in Review

The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results: 

1. Wayne Memorial 73, Detroit Country Day 70 – Opening with a win over the reigning Class B champion? Wayne will take it after going 17-5 a year ago and with title aspirations in Class A.

2. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 48, Clarkston 45 – This edging of a 17-6 Class A team from a year ago stuck out most from an impressive three-win week by the reigning Class B runner-up Gators, who are back in Class C this winter.  

3. East Lansing 42, Marshall 32 – The Trojans started by handing Marshall only its fourth regular-season loss since the start of 2015; Marshall, a Class B semifinalist last season, also fell to Williamston to end the week.

4. Walled Lake Western 56, Southfield Arts & Technology 51 – Walled Lake Western hopes to build on last year’s District title and got a good sign with this opening win over a Southfield A&T team that made the Class A Semifinals last winter.

5. Flint Carman-Ainsworth 59, Flushing 38 – There’s no question Flushing graduated major talent last spring, but this still counts for the Cavaliers as a win over the reigning Class A champion.

Watch List

With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each class making sparks: 

CLASS A

Flint Carman-Ainsworth (3-0) – As noted above, Carman-Ainsworth opened with a win over the reigning Class A champ Raiders, who ended the Cavaliers’ season in last year’s District Final. Carman-Ainsworth last week also downed Swartz Creek by 24 on Friday and then Southfield A&T by 20 a day later, lending confidence to high hopes coming off last year’s 18-4 run.  

Roseville (3-0) – A two-point win over Center Line in the middle of last week was the only test, but Roseville has now won 16 of its last 17 going back to last January. The Panthers were 16-6 last season after starting 1-4.

CLASS B

Lansing Catholic (2-0) – The Cougars have finished either a win or two below .500 the last two seasons, but could be on the move if last week was an indication. Lansing Catholic opened with a 12-point win over Perry and followed with a 42-pointer over Olivet; those two opponents were a combined 28-15 last winter, and Olivet was a league champ.

Reed City (1-0) – After going 0-21 in 2014-15, Reed City has finished just a game under .500 the last two seasons. Could this be the winter the Coyotes take another big step? Last week’s 37-35 win over Leroy Pine River was just one victory, but the Bucks were 22-3 last season and beat Reed City by 17 to start that campaign.

CLASS C

Manton (2-1) – Yes, Manton took a loss during opening week, but to a Class A Marquette team that won 20 games last season. In the meantime, the Rangers (14-8 a year ago) beat two other Class A teams in Mount Pleasant and Petoskey and after falling to Petoskey a year ago.

Pewamo-Westphalia (2-0) – How to the Pirates come back from falling in last season’s Class C championship game by a basket? They open with a 23-point win over New Lothrop (17-5 last winter) and then another 23-pointer over Class A Detroit Renaissance (16-5 a year ago).

CLASS D

Brethren (2-0) – Mariah Pringle scored 42 of her team’s 71 points in wins over Buckley and Pentwater last week. The 39-34 win over the Falcons avenged one of few losses a season ago as Brethren went 18-5.

Walkerville (2-0) – The Wildcats have actually won six of their last eight going back to last season, when they finished 9-13. They opened last week by beating Class C Ravenna by nine and then Big Rapids Crossroads by 33 after falling to Crossroads a year ago.

Can't-Miss Contests

Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:  

Tuesday – DeWitt (2-0) at East Lansing (2-0) – These two will be in the same league for the first time next season, and this has been one of the Lansing area’s top nonleague games annually for years. DeWitt won in December by a point last winter, and East Lansing avenged with a one-point win in the District Final.

Tuesday – Midland (0-1) at Saginaw Heritage (0-0) – Heritage was last season’s Saginaw Valley League North co-champion thanks in part to a pair of wins over third-place Midland.

Friday – Buchanan (0-0) at Niles Brandywine (1-1) – Buchanan was last season’s Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Red co-champion at 16-4 overall, and Brandywine finished third before winning a District and ending up 19-5.

Friday – Houghton (1-0) at Negaunee (2-0) – After Houghton won their early-December 2016 matchup 48-46, these teams went on to finish a combined 38-8 and both won District titles.

Friday – Utica Ford (1-1) at Grosse Pointe North (1-0) – Utica Ford won 20 games last season and a league title, while Grosse Pointe North won a District title and nearly upset Bloomfield Hills Marian in the Regional.

PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, a Class D semifinalist last season, opened this winter with a 76-14 win over Vestaburg on Friday. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)