DUKE CENTER, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Katie Sheeler remembers the little, timid freshman she was and smiles.
That version of Katie Sheeler had no idea what to expect from her future on the basketball court at Otto-Eldred High School.
Or beyond.
(Pictured above, Otto-Eldred senior Katie Sheeler signs her national letter of intent to play at Mansfield University in Ohio. Flanking her are her parents, Heather and Brian Sheeler. In the back row are Otto-Eldred head girls basketball coach Shawn Gray and Katie’s brother, Michael/Photo by Barb Close)
That version of Katie Sheeler never expected to score 1,000 career points. That version of Katie Sheeler never envisioned a scenario in which she would leave Duke Center as the all-time leading girls basketball scorer for the Terrors.
That version of Katie Sheeler would have never guessed that less than four years later she would be a signed a sealed member of Division II Mansfield University’s women’s basketball team.
“You know, being so small when I was a freshman and being the point guard, I was a little shy,” Sheeler said. “But (head girls basketball coach Shawn Gray) definitely helped me step out of my comfort zone and become a good leader on the team. And that really just helped me realize what I could do.”
Sheeler said she still has trouble sometimes believing all she has accomplished.
After those growing pains — literally and figuratively — during her freshman campaign, Sheeler flourished.
She emerged as a scoring threat as a sophomore, averaging 16.1 points per game after putting up 9.1 during her first season.
As a junior, Sheeler averaged 18.3 per night and this year as a senior, she poured in 22.1 points per game.
Sheeler finished with 1,699 points, 293 assists and 485 steals in her career.
“It’s so surreal. It still feels like a dream,” Sheeler said. “I used to do gymnastics, so I have all of these notebooks lying around where I would write my goals in. I found one from when I was in ninth grade and my biggest goal was to just get to 1,000 points, and I didn’t even think I was going to get that. I got it my junior year.”
Then the career record came into her sights.
That was held by April Batt, who scored 1,575 points in her standout career that ended when she graduated after the 1992–93 season.
“People were telling me I could break the record,” Sheeler said. “And I was like, ‘There’s no way. That’s so far away.’ And then I did that.”
Batt, now April Preston, was there when Sheeler snapped her mark on Feb. 23 with a 30-point game against Northern Potter in the District 9 Class A quarterfinals.
Otto-Eldred eventually made it to the D9 title game and won it this time after losing two straight championship games.
It was the Terrors first-ever D9 crown.
“Losing it two years in a row was definitely discouraging,” Sheeler said. “To win it and make history and make it to the final eight (in the state) two years in a row, again, it feels like a dream. I couldn’t have asked for any better of a high school basketball career.”
Now Sheeler will take her skills to Mansfield.
Mansfield is coming off a disappointing 3-23 campaign while playing in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Sheeler had plenty of options — and for good reason.
But Mansfield stood out among the lot.
“I definitely wanted to go somewhere a little far away from home, but not too far so that my family and friends and coaches could come watch me play,” Sheeler said. “It’s only two hours away, so it’s just the right distance where people can make it out to games, but I’ll still be away from home.”
Sheeler’s interest in Mansfield peaked during a prospect camp that was held there. She was able to meet and mingle with the team and coaches.
“I really loved the team and the coach was very, very nice,” Sheeler said. “She came to a lot of my games this year and was very supportive, so it just felt like a good fit for me.”
Sheeler said she also craved the challenge of playing at the Division II level.
She received plenty of offers from D-III schools.
“It was definitely my goal to play at a higher level because I love high-level basketball,” said the 5-foot-5 guard. “I think I would have definitely been happy at some of the D-III schools that were reaching out and coming to my games. I loved all those coaches. But Division II, it just felt like a better fit, skill-wise for me. I kind of wanted to push myself a little bit.”
Sheeler will likely be a shooting guard at Mansfield.
She already worked hard last offseason to getting stronger and more aggressive to the rim. She also worked on finishing better in the paint and it paid off for her as a senior at Otto-Eldred.
Now Sheeler will do the same this offseason, trying to get even stronger and even better at scoring from anywhere on the floor.
Her work won’t stop there.
“I’ve definitely been working on my ball handling because when you can handle the ball against pressure that definitely helps at the college level,” Sheeler said. “I’ve also been working on getting a faster release on my shot.”
Sheeler is still undecided on what she wants to do after basketball, but she said she knows she wants to work in some sports-related field.
“That’s why I chose sports management,” Sheeler said of her major. “You can do a lot with it. I thought about being a (physical education) teacher and coaching. I thought about managing or helping out with a higher-level sports team, those type of jobs. Just anything that has to do with sports.
“I’ve always loved helping little kids,” Sheeler added. “When we go down to the elementary school and help The Little Nippers, I’ve always loved teaching little kids and helping people with their shot, ball handling, just giving tips. That why coaching has always been a big thing that I wanted to do.”
For now, Sheeler wants to try to forge another standout career at Mansfield while always looking back at her time at Otto-Eldred with fondness.
“I’m definitely going to miss playing with my Otto friends because I’ve grown up with them,” Sheeler said. “But I’m really excited to meet some new people and get to play alongside some really talented basketball players.”
