Knoch’s Shaw brought attitude to Knights’ crew
JEFFERSON TWP — In Knoch’s locker room, what was always scribbled on the whiteboard wouldn’t typically be taken very kindly by many hoops teams.
However, Nina Shaw — listed at 5-foot-4 on the team’s roster — gleefully embraced the quirky moniker that doubled as a motivational mantra — Angry Little People.
“Our team is all 5-4, 5-5, alright?” She explained. “So, obviously, we didn’t have a big. Whenever we played, we just had to play angry. We needed the energy, the aggression that other teams didn’t have.
“Our defense is what wins us games at the end of the day. We had to box out like we were 6-4. We had to play defense like we were D-1 commits. That’s basically what that means.”
As the glue that held Knoch together through another run to the state postseason, Shaw has been named as the Butler Eagle’s 2022-23 Girls Basketball Player of the Year by a unanimous vote. It’s the second year in a row in which she collects the award, after she shared it with former teammate Madilyn Boyer last season.
North Catholic’s Alayna Rocco and Moniteau’s Catherine Kelly were also considered for the honor. The way in which Shaw handled a myriad of responsibilities was what made her stand out, night after night.
“Nina had games this year where she scored 20-plus points, but she had games where she had 10 rebounds,” Knights coach Chris Andreassi said. “And she had games where she had 10 assists. And she had games where she had 10 steals.
“She understood what she had to do to win.”
In total, she averaged 13 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals per game. Andreassi will tell you that Shaw — a California (Pa.) signee — is the type of player that checks all the boxes.
“Obviously, she’s a great defender,” he said. “And she’s a good shooter and passer. It’s not just the ability to make passes, but the ability to see things and create opportunities for other people.”
With a sense of anticipation that many at the prep level don’t have, to boot.
“Sometimes, you could just see her coming down the court and you can see her vision, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Andreassi added. “You can see what she’s developing in her mind. And to watch it play out is pretty impressive ... It’s things like that that kind of separates her from other point guards.”
“My main goal is to make everybody better around me,” Shaw said. “Not just myself, but just spread my knowledge ... Whenever I had the opportunity to do that, I was going to do that. I always grew up with, ‘Make the smartest pass.’ If that’s one more pass that passes up my shot, I’m going to make that extra pass to get a better shot.”
She was the centerpiece of a solid defense, as well. The unit relied a lot on switches, and Shaw reveled in the chance to stick to whoever was in front of her.
“We played great team defense, and a lot of it started with Nina and what she’s capable of doing defensively against the other team’s best player,” Andreassi said.
The campaign ended in a close matchup against eventual Class 4A state runner-up, Blackhawk. Nonetheless, Knoch picked up its second-ever state playoff win in the round prior, against Punxsutawney.
“I’m pretty happy with the outcome and what we were able to accomplish,” Shaw said. “I really don’t have any regrets about anything.”
Along with a few members of her class, she’ll graduate with the most career wins in the school’s history. As for another number that’s important to her — her No. 25 jersey — it will carry a lot of weight going forward.
“I think anybody that chooses to wear that jersey number should do so with a lot of respect to the game of basketball,” Andreassi said. “We don’t retire numbers, but we can let people know who wore this number.”
Shaw understands. She stressed that the sum of the parts was greater than anything individually, too.
“I definitely would want to have my number (retired),” she said. “But, at the end of the day, it is just a number. What was on the front of the jersey was what brought us together.”
