Newsday's Athlete of the Week is Smithtown Christian girls basketball's Annalyn Loiacono
Smithtown Christian point guard Annalyn Loiacono. Credit: Hans Pennink
When Annalyn Loiacono first joined the Smithtown Christian girls basketball team as a seventh-grader, she was the youngest on the roster. Now a junior, she stepped up to be the leader that the Knights needed her to be.
Loiacono leads in more ways than just boxscore numbers. Each week, she selects "the word of the week" to motivate her teammates and encourage them, an idea that originated when she attended the LuHi basketball camp this past summer.
"When I went to the LuHi camp, we did a word of the day, and it really impacted me," Loiacono said. "I felt like, since I'm the oldest girl on the team, that could be the way that I could be a leader and really bring the most out of each person."
She added: "I love encouraging my teammates, whether it's practicing with them, training with them, or sharing Bible verses with them. It's something that brings us closer together."
Loiacono's favorite word of the week was "elevate," because she believes in the team's potential and knows the team can achieve great things when they live up to it.
"I chose that word because I felt like we needed to elevate in our roles," Loiacono said. "They all took something away from that word, and we have been a different team since."
The point guard's game elevated Monday evening against Glenn, as the Newsday Athlete of the Week had 28 points and seven assists in a 58-44 win to lead Smithtown Christian in a non-league matchup.
"Going into Glenn, I felt like I had just to play more relaxed," Loiacono said. "I forced up a lot of shots, and I realized I had to let my game come to me, so when I calmed down, I was just having fun out there."
Her dad, Joseph, who also serves as the coach, credits her success on the court to her strict training schedule.
"She's such a driven kid," he said. "She wakes up at 5:30 and runs three miles on the treadmill, goes to school, goes to her trainer, then when she gets home, she puts up 50-100 shots in our backyard."
He added: "She's really pushing herself to be the best she can be in the sport, so it's really a privilege to coach her."
In addition to her performance on the court, Loiacono maintains a 3.97 GPA.
"I manage my time really well," Loiacono said. "I just deleted social media, so I have much more free time, and I utilize that time to study."
Loiacono volunteered in the International Reading Club last year, where she met with students from Korea and helped them with their English by reading books such as Magic Tree House and Matilda.
"I love meeting with those kids and reading with them," Loiacono said. "It's a blessing. I feel like my goal is to impact as many people as possible."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
