Burlington Central's Colby the consummate team player
Alison Colby is living proof that you don't have to have a flashy stat line every night to contribute to a team's success.
Sometimes the things that don't show up in numbers on a stat grid are as important to a team as all those things that do, and the Burlington Central senior is a player who sacrificed personal glory to take on a leadership role the young Rockets needed if they were to thrive on the basketball court this season.
“It was apparent that she was totally committed and would do anything it took for us to win games,” says Rockets' coach Mark Smith. “She didn't have a glory-filled role but she had a great attitude about it all year and she played like a senior.”
Colby's attitude, work ethic and commitment to her team and school, and without a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, are the intangibles that have earned the west Elgin resident recognition as the honorary co-captain of the Daily Herald's Fox Valley All-Area girls basketball team. She shares the honor with Huntley junior Ali Andrews and becomes BC's third all-area captain, following Chris Rodriguez (1999-2000) and Jenna Real (2002-03).
Colby's stats are certainly worthy of recognition, despite the fact she wasn't the one scoring all the points for a team that finished 25-4 and won its third straight Big Northern East championship, upset top-ranked Montini and was ranked No. 2 in Class 3A before suffering an upset loss to Sycamore in a regional final.
She finished the season averaging 9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and she was a 44 percent shooter. A tireless worker in the paint, she actually had more offensive rebounds than defensive (107-102). She graduates having scored 993 career points, which ranks No. 4 in Burlington Central history behind Real, Jordan Maisto and Cindy Hilbrich.
So how does one who grew up being more of an offensive-minded player turn her game around as she got older?
“I think it was the commitment I made with my teammates since we were in fourth grade,” Colby said. “With all the practices and travel, it was always our goal to win a state championship. That drove us all.”
The Rockets, with 79 wins in the last three years and a fourth-place finish in Class 3A in 2014, have been led in scoring by a group of talented juniors, all with aspirations to play in college. But Colby decided early on not to pursue playing basketball in college. Instead she will study for a degree in communications at Indiana University, the same school her maternal grandmother, one of the Rockets' most loyal and vocal supporters, attended.
There's no question Colby could have played in college. “At every game a college coach was at they'd say ‘What's 42 doing?' “ said Smith. “She could have played at the next level for sure.”
Colby's leadership qualities to a young team were immeasurable.
“My team was all looking for college and they were all playing for college and I had to make sure to remind them we're playing here and now for this school,” she said. “That was a big thing that drove me, keeping them in the here and now.”
Colby's role on a team filled with scoring options became rebounding and defense and while it was a challenge for her to accept that role initially, she eventually embraced it and flourished in it.
“I've always loved playing defense, it's one of my favorite things to do,” said Colby, the daughter of Tim and Jennifer Colby. “Even if they didn't want me in a scorer's role I focused on defense and rebounding and scoring came as the backup points, the garbage points. I just focused on the stuff they wanted me to and it made me a more complete player. I tried my hardest to do what they wanted me to do. There were times when it was tough but I'm always there for the team. That part didn't change for me.”
“You talk about team first and she was just totally unselfish with her leadership on the floor,” Smith said. “She was a two-year captain and she always tried to guide the kids on the floor to always think team first. Wanting to rebound like she does is tough work. It's going to be tough for us to replace that. Her rebounding was out of this world. She made a commitment to grab boards. She had quite a career at Central.”
Colby has glowing admiration for those who helped get her basketball career started, beginning with her dad and Rich DeTamble, the two who started the Burlington Blast team that the current Rockets used as a springboard for their high school careers.
“My dad and Mr. DeTamble really shaped the basketball career that everyone has on my team,” said Colby, who has been working on a project for the school called State Row, a photo display of the teams and individuals who have made state for the Rockets.
“Lisa Pryor set up the Blast but Mr. DeTamble and my dad really put a lot of effort into forming the basic skills you need to have. And my high school coaches taught me a lot. They taught me character traits I wouldn't have otherwise and they taught me how to be a captain and how to be a liaison between the team and them.”
Despite the fact the Rockets didn't make it to Redbird Arena again this season Colby, who credits her older sister Taylor for being her biggest role model in life, will graduate knowing she did her part to make it happen.
“I have no regrets,” she said. “I know I gave it all I could and I put it all out there. Unfortunately it didn't follow this year but I don't have any regrets.”
Nor should she.