Stevenson senior guard Megs Seribo knows her role well.
Her name doesn’t stand out in box scores very often, and that’s fine with her.
“My contributions don’t show up on the stat sheet all the time,” Seribo said. “But I take pride in the little things, like putting pressure on my defensive assignment, putting my body on the line and taking charges, passing the ball right to my shooter’s pocket.
“It doesn’t matter to me that it doesn’t show up in the box score. All I care about is that my teammates are able to trust that I will do what they need me to do.”
Seribo is averaging 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 deflection, but her 2.6 plus/minus ranks second on the team. Her calling card is tough defense.
“Megs is notorious for taking charges and making big defensive plays by sacrificing her body,” Stevenson senior guard Sydney Rosland said.
Seribo made a big leap in her game this season to earn significant minutes off the bench for the Patriots (12-7, 6-1), whose only loss in the North Suburban Conference came against first-place Libertyville. Seribo, who is also the president of the SHS Student-Athlete Association, then started in both conference wins last week.
“Megs didn’t see the floor last year, but she practiced so hard,” Stevenson coach Regan Carmichael said. “She would watch film tirelessly and be on our scout team and send me and my assistants her thoughts on what she saw other teams would be playing.
“She’s a lead-by-example type of person who goes above and beyond. She will do anything we ask her to do. She’s a great screener, rebounder and facilitator for our offense. She really has left a mark. She helps a lot of people and made an impact on the program throughout this community.”
But Seribo, who said she has a 4.55 GPA, wasn’t sure she’d return to the team this season.
“I was waffling between playing this year or not,” she said. “I was stressed out with school and stuff. I was worried how much time commitment basketball would take. But my mindset going into this season is to enjoy it.”
Senior guard Nisha Musunuri, a Carnegie Mellon commit who scored her 1,000th career point last week, said Seribo is making the most of it.
“Her biggest aspect is her leadership and commitment to the game as well as the betterment of our team,” Musunuri said. “She’s an unselfish player and one of the hardest workers I’ve seen.”
Rosland also appreciates Seribo’s team-first attitude.
“Megs brings a sense of leadership and great energy to our team,” Rosland said. “She loves basketball and helping our team, which shows in her play. She is always ready to do whatever she can to make an impact.
“Megs has been stepping up big time lately.”
Rosland said Seribo’s positive approach is key.
“Megs is one of the nicest people I know and has great character,” Rosland said. “She is a very genuine teammate and wants the best for everyone.”
Seribo’s interest in helping people goes beyond basketball. She was one of 60 people chosen from a pool of 500 applicants to participate in a program at a hospital in Libertyville one night a week.
“We shadow a nurse or technician for two hours,” Seribo said. “I’ve gotten to see a labor delivery and been in an operating room. It’s reinforced my love to help people. I want to treat people with body, mind and spirit, create change in my community and help people live their best lives.”
Seribo wants future Stevenson players to reach their potential, too, so she contributes time to the feeder program.
“It was always inspiring to me to see older players come and share their time and talent,” Seribo said. “I want to pay that forward to this next generation of athletes. The most important thing I can teach these girls is how to love the sport, their teammates and themselves, so to instill that confidence so they can thrive on and off the court.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
